Shin Seiki Evangelion Chouchuanshan
by ssfr
Summary: Shinji finds a record shop that isn't there. A minor accident leaves him feeling justified in asserting herself . . . femShinji/Rei/Asuka Eva/Multi. Written from 1998 to 2003
1. Episode One

Acknowledgements:  
Well, first there is the Literal Translation Project, without whom this fic would be quite different, and take a lot longer to write.  
Next we have the FFML, who provide a much needed outlet for this, so that I can know that other people have at least read whatever it is before I send it to RAAC.  
Next, we have ADV, who pressed my Eva DVD box set.  
Next, we have Mangle, who pressed the Eva movies.  
Next, we have my fans (all four of you) who occasionally asked if I'd ever finish this . . . Thanks.

And, last, but definately not least, we have Gainax, and Anno-san, without whom I'd've never started this mess.

'Nuff of that.

Genom Research  
Presents

A  
St. Suika Fenderson Roberts  
FanFic

Shin Seiki Evangelion  
Chouchuanshan

Episode one.

I look up from the rack of tapes as the room suddenly shakes, then shakes again. "What's going on?" The man behind the counter shrugs disinterestedly, so I guess it isn't another Angel. I go back to perusing the tapes again, wonder about the people who would make DAT copies off of twelfth-gen analog audio copies of old vinyl disks. For some things I could see it, I doubt there is an intact copy of Cheap Thrills on anything better, and the original wasn't too high fidelity to begin with; but I don't see the point to Bach's third performed on March second 1982 by the New Mexico Symphony. Where the heck is New Mexico anyway? 'Kinda think it was absorbed into New New South Wales when the British bought a new homeland in the Americas.

I pull a copy of Extra Terrestrial Live off the shelf and approach the cashier just as another shock hits. The bottles jump; one of them bounces off the edge of the counter, shattering, showering me with broken glass and its contents. The old guy looks up at me, blinks, and speaks for the second time since I'd entered the music shop.

"Sorry 'bout that. That all you wanted?" he nods at the tape in my hand.

"I was also looking for anything by Big Brother and the Holding Company."

"A child with taste. Such a rare thing nowadays. I've got a copy of Big Brother and the Holding Company, you have it?" I shake my head, rather impressed, for the news on usenet is that all the copies on Earth had been lost. "And I've got reprints of those two posters." I hadn't thought he'd seen me gawking, since I've worked really hard on learning how to hide such things.

"Wow." I can't say any more for a moment, "How much?"

"I shoulda made sure those bottles were stored a little more stably, so you can have 'em, if you want." A copy of Big Brother and the Holding Company? And one each of those posters? He pulls out two long rolls and a DAT tape, and hands them over. I sputter inarticulately for a moment. "Don't mention it. Sorry about that bottle." I walk out with a skip to my step, spin just outside the door to attempt to say thanks again.

The store is just _gone_. In the spot where it was is this tattoo parlor, of all things, and I suddenly notice something in the window. If my retinal patterns have changed Akagi-hakase is going to be quite upset with me. Nothing to be done about it. I spin in place and start for home. Three paces later I realize what had been poking at my conciousness since I got splashed, the lack of feedback from something that normally moved when I walked. I stuff the tapes into my pants pocket, checking un-obtrusively, then brush my free hand across my shirt. Akagi-hakase is going to have coniptions, and if my retinal patterns have changed I can only hope that my fingerprints haven't.

I manage to beat the rain home, and slip into my room to contemplate the best arrangement of my new posters. Come to think of it, these are the first posters I've ever owned. Too bad Misato doesn't have a DAT deck. . . No, she needs her sleep, so I couldn't play it at the volume it deserves anyway.

I pop the tape I've had in my player for the last several weeks; it's very calming, but I don't think that is helping any. I pause for a moment, contemplate the two tapes in my pocket, grabbing first ETL then BBHC, then finally settle on ETL, for I don't want to risk being disappointed right now. I put the earphones on, hit play, then adjust the volume up to the edge of too loud while I continue to look at my walls, wondering how I should place my new treasures. I at last decide and exit my room to look for the sticky-tape.

I pause to splash hot water on my face, but don't change. With a little shrug, I continue looking for the tape. I find it the same moment I hear the doorbell ring.

I open the door on two familiar faces. "Hello, what're you up to?" I ask, shutting off the tape and stuffing the earphones in my pocket with the player.

"Hoping for shelter from the rain." Kensuke.

"Come in." I wave them in, the roll of tape in my hand. They enter and I shut the door behind them.

"Thank you for letting us take shelter from the rain here, Shinji." Touji this time.

"Misato-san wa?" Kensuke again.

"'Probably still sleeping, she had to work late last night."

"Yeah, her job is hard." gurmble gurmble, I want to hang up my posters. Ah well, the chores of a social life.

"Keep quiet, don't wanna wake her." Kensuke.

"Hey, you lot. What are you doing here?" Asuka's home.

"Hiding from the rain." State the obvious, in case it isn't.

"I'm sure. I'm changing, so if you peep I'll kill you." Asuka can be _so_ charming.

Touji says something to the unkind side of `who'd wanna look at you'; Kensuke mutters about her being too self-consious; then both of them notice that Misato is awake. She greets us, reminds me that there is a harmonics test this evening, then reminds Asuka. I suddenly remember what happened earlier, grab her by the hand.

"Misato-san, I need to talk to you, in private." I drag her off to her room; she follows willingly enough. I wedge the door to her room closed, then drag her to the closet at the far end of the mess, up against the outside wall.

"I went shopping today, in a shop that wasn't there, and something rather weird happened." I take a deep breath, continue, "I got splashed with a liquid, and this happened." I press her hand against my left breast, and her eyes get really big.

"How?"

"No idea. It's even better, though," I pull her hand downward; she fights me a little bit until she realizes that she isn't going to feel what she thought she would, "see what I mean?

"I'd like you to help me check a couple things." She looks at me quizzically, so I explain. "I want to make sure that my retinal patterns and fingerprints are the same. It's going to be hard enough getting people to believe I'm me if they match; I don't want to think about trying if they don't."She nods emphaticly.

"Let's get that dealt with now, if you don't mind." I shake my head,

"Fine with me." She waves me towards the door, which I un-wedge and open. The three people falling in were un-expected, for I thought I'd made enough noise to warn them back. I run to my room, grab my jacket and hurry to catch up with Misato. I needn't have, for Kensuke is stalling, congratulating her on her promotion. I check and realize that he's right, and wonder when it occured.

"Ja, ittekimasu!" Misato calls for both of us.

Riding in Misato's car isn't that bad. Riding in Misato's car with Misato driving, on the other hand, can be really scary, because she really doesn't seem like she should have the skill to get away with the stupid things she does.

The gate takes my ID and lets us in, and Misato drags me down to Akagi-hakase's lair.

"Ritsuko, Shinji-kun is wondering if his fingerprints or retinal pattern have been changed by piloting EVA." Decent excuse to check. I'd even occasionally contemplated what being an EVA pilot was doing to me. Ritsuko clucks at me, says that there is no reason to think that it would, but she'll check to reasure me. Fourty seconds and several flashes of bright light later I have my answer. Retinal patterns and fingerprints unchanged. _That_ makes me breathe a little easier.

"Akagi-hakase, that wasn't why I wanted to check, actually. Here." I grab her hand and press it against my breast. Her eyebrows rise and she slides one knee up my thigh, presses slowly but firmly.

"When did this happen? It didn't show up in your last post-flight physical."

"This afternoon." She turns away and fusses about in the pile of medical paraphenalia next to the retinal scanner, pulling out an all too familiar syringe. She tears it open, slots a fresh vial into it, holds out her hand. I oblige her quietly, placing my forearm into her hand. She slips the needle into my arm, pressing the vial down onto it in the same smooth motion, stands still as my blood flows, filling the sample container.

"Well, I'll be able to tell you if your DNA has changed by tonight, and the extent of the changes by the end of the week." She looks happier than I have seen her in, blessed, since I've known her. "Try not to let this spread too far." She must have seen the face I made at that, for she elaborates, "Knowledge of what happened."

"OK. Thank you for your help, doctor." She smiles at me, and I have another question pop up, "What am I going to do about PE? I'm not as well endowed as you are, but it'll be rather obvious anyway."

"As long as you're dressed I don't think it will be much of a problem."

"The showers at school are manditory and communal." She has the grace to color at that.

"I'll write you a note excusing you from PE for a NERV related reason. I'll send it to the school by morning, OK?"

"Totally." The urge sweeps through me before I can fight it, and I bounce up onto my toes and kiss her on the cheek. My face warms as I whirl and run from the room.

No homework today. I change into my plug suit; the air conditioning in NERV headquarters, like almost everywhere else, is set too cold for my taste. I lean against the back wall of the controll room, playing "Godzilla" over and over again. I know it's bad for the tape, but with the embargos, and RIAA, one can't get an optical digital audio system anymore, let alone a nanocore based one. Hmm, come to think of it, as a NERV employ. . . asset, I may be able to finagle possession of one somehow. I'll have to look into that. I let the tape play through to the end, then rewind it and run it again. Misato is talking to me, can't hear what she's saying. I turn the tape off, pull the plugs.

"What were you just saying? I got a new tape today so I had the volume up as loud as I dare."

"Asuka and Rei are here, the test begins in fifteen minutes."

"OK." I leave the control room, wondering again what the plug suits are made of, for mine is skin tight and still fairly comfortable, but looks almost the same in the mirror.

The test, as always, is totally strange. This time something is hovering just outside of me, trying to gather the courage to talk to me. I try thinking louder. `Hey! Whoever you are! If you want to talk to me, TALK ALREADY!' The presence backs off, but that is the only responce. A few moments later I feel the familiar separation as the test ends, and Misato's voice flows through the LCL.

"Shinji-kun, you did well."

"What do you mean?"

"Your sync was 9 points higher today."

"But still 50 points lower than me." Asuka grumbles.

"Impressive, a nine point gain in ten days." Ritsuko rubs it in.

"Nothing great!" Asuka's getting obviously angry. Doesn't she realize that anger lowers one's sync ratio?

Once we are out she corners me. "How glad you are to be praised."

"Asuka, being angry lowers one's sync ratio. Don't be so upset."

"I'm going home, baaaka." That could have gone better. Oh well, maybe it will sink in.

"Bai bai!" I call after her retreating form. Maybe I'm just acting like I think a girl should act. That is probably it, and I think I like this 'me' better. Hun.

I pull my clothing on over my plug suit, wait for Misato by her car.

"Congratulations on your promotion."

"Thank you," She says, continuing, "but I'm really not that happy with it."

"I can understand, I think. Today while I was being praised, it just made me sad, for it was really upsetting Asuka."

"Do you mind that?"

"Yes."

"It's because you are always looking for approval." That would fit. I can't ignore others, but I don't always need them to tell me how to feel. I can't let others tell me how to feel, even if it is so easy, recently.

-8-

Why did I let them rook me into coming along to this? Oh, yeah, Misato-san asked me. Ore no baka. Did I just refer to myself with `ore?' I do believe I did. The doorbell interupts my musings, and I look up to see Kaji-kun and Akagi-hakase at the door. Misato and Asuka chorus something about suspicion, and my feelings of ambivalence towards Kaji crystalize into antipathy. I ponder that for a moment, thinking about why I should dislike him, nailing down a few little clues, but nothing to explain the big picture. I start paying attention to the conversation just in time to hear Akagi-hakase say that both the commander and subcommander are out of the contry.

"The commander?"

"Ikari-shirei is in antarctica." I suddenly realize that I had referred to him as Ikari-shirei as well.

-8-

I stay out of sight at the back of the command center, listening to them discuss the new enemy. It's dropping either pieces of itself or an AT field, I'm not quite sure which, from orbit. This, of course, leaves great big holes in the ground at the impact point.

Misato orders the evacuation of Toukyou-3, because the risk to civilians is too high, even I can see that.

Now Ritsuko is arguing about the probability of our success. One in ten thousand, she says. That is sure to raise our spirits. Hopefully not from the dead. I have to speak up.

"How well will we fight without Headquarters? Magi may be backed up, but without the hardware she won't run nearly as effectively. All of the spare parts and extra EVA armor is stored here. Misato's plan is the only one." I say, glad I hadn't taken off my plug suit. I start toward the stairs to the EVA cage. I turn at the top of them. "We're gonna win, or die trying, right?"

Maya-san giggles. "Hai!" her voice is a lot lighter than it had been.

We listen to Misato's briefing, and Asuka brings up a couple of the points Ritsuko did. I keep quiet, for my input can't help things. Misato says we can back out.

"No need. Either we win, or it makes no differnce. The Angel gets here in about two and a half hours, right?" Misato doesn't reply, there is no need.

"I'm not going to die." Asuka, worried.

"Nor me." Rei, calm.

"When this is over, I'll invite you out for steak." Misato, almost certainly promising more than she can deliver.

"Rei doesn't eat meat." I feel the need to point that out. Things are a lot better now than they were in the 1970s, but people still starve, and eating meat still contributes. I've always backed down at the thought of all the confrontations vegitarianism would require in modern Japan. Peoples' lives. Like the reason you pilot EVA, Shinji-kun. Decision.

"The Angel's ECM is keeping us from getting a fix." Maya-san's voice, worried.

"Magi can't give us an exact point, so this is the predicted range." The huge blotch appears on the screen in front of me.

"That big?" Asuka's voice, very worried.

"With the target's AT field it can annihilate Headquarters entirely." Ritsuko's voice.

"'Cause of that, the EVA are to be placed at these points." They appear on screen, and I start towards my designated spot.

"What are these points based on?" Rei, curious.

"Intuition. Mine." Misato, trying to sound sure of herself.

"Ano," I pop a frame up on Asuka's screen.

"What?" She replies, staring at me with mild annoyance.

"Asuka, why do you pilot EVA?"

"To show my talent to the world, of course." Her reply seems so terribly sad.

"To show your existance?" I ask, trying to paraphrase.

"That may do." I'd known Asuka was hiding some problems, but this one is too much. How can they make someone who values herself so little pilot one of these? Maybe there is such a dearth of pilots that they have no choice, but the dearth of EVA is at least as bad.

"Why don't you ask that girl?" She asks me, breaking me from my thoughts.

"I already did."

"You two are such close friends," she sounds sad about that.

"Perhaps. If you didn't pick on her I think she would be your friend."

"Who would want to be friends with that . . . person?"

"You would." Maybe I'm pressing too hard.

"Why do you pilot EVA, Shinji-kun?"

"I only just decided, so I may be wrong, but I think it is to protect everyone. A friend protected me from the time my mother disappeared, and Ayanami protected me during the attack on Ramiel. I may not be able to do much, but I can pilot EVA."

"You are a fool." Her calm words bite, make me reply before I think.

"And what does that make you, who pilots EVA for the fame of it? You could easily die in any of these attacks, you know that? Do you want to die? There are easier ways than waiting for an Angel to kill you in your EVA." What am I saying. All communication between the EVAs is monitored. If she goes off the deep end someone is going to kill me, I'm sure. No, they won't kill me, 'cause they'll only have two pilots, they'll just make me wish I was dead. They probably wouldn't have to do anything at all, actually.

"I'm . . . " Asuka cuts me off before I can even finish the first word.

"You're right. Since getting killed inside an EVA is so difficult, maybe I want to live. Protect me too, if you want," she sounds so fragile. She cuts the connection, and I settle into the waiting.

"Shinji-kun, You asked me yesterday why I joined NERV. My father thought only of his research, nothing else. I hated him for it." He sounds so like my father. I nod and say `un' to show I heard, and she continues, "He didn't watch out for me, for our family, but people say he was sensitive. Yet, he was so weak that he was always trying to escape reality, us, just like a kid. I agreed with mother when she divorced him, 'cause he had always made her cry. Father seemed so shocked that I had to smile. In the end he saved me, at the cost of his own life, from the Second Impact. I couldn't tell if I loved him or hated him, only that I had to defeat the Angels that killed him, either to avenge him or be free from his spell. I joined NERV for that."

Nigechau dame da. "Misato-san. Thank you," I look down for a moment, contemplating my plug suit over my navel.

-8-

"Ibuki-san?"

"You can call me Maya, Shinji-kun." She replies.

"Can you put my sync rate up where I could see it? Someplace kinda out of the way like where the battery counter pops up?"

"Un, doushitte?" She sounds puzzled, but I can hear the clatter of keys and the display pops up, just above where the battery counter does when the umbilical is cut.

"Autofeedback."

"Oh." Her voice shows that she isn't just saying that to be nice, but actually caught what I meant. I can hear Misato asking for her to elaborate while I watch the numbers, 56.75, 56.76, 56.89, 58.5, 63.60, 64.55, 65.50, 66.45, 67.40, 68.35, 69.30. The normal stretched feeling of piloting EVA changes, loses its strangness. At the same time my range of vision has broadened, from barely 180 to almost 270 degrees, but is still binocular, or perhaps simply multi-ocular. How does Rei cope with having an eye on the top of her head? I check the sync ratio again, not bothering to look, just knowing that it is up to 74.67, 74.69, 74.68, fluxing randomly between the three numbers. I shift position, cocking my hips so I can rest my left leg, all of my weight supported on my right while I fold my arms behind my back under the umbilical. I let my perceptions drift a bit more, past familiar people, at least one of whom waves at me and yells `hi!'; past all the people left in Japan; up to where the familiar feeling, for it feels like myself, presence of the Angel in orbit. It starts to fall, and I start running, watching where it will hit, while Misato starts to give orders.

"All EVA Units to start position!" She calls out quickly, continues after a few moments, "The target's trajectory is based only on the optical observations, so Magi will direct you until the Angel is within a thousand of impact. After that it's up to you." She pauses again, and I reach where the target will hit, unless it changes course, "Operation start!"

The other two arrive quickly, and I brace for the impact, shaping my AT field to concetrate the impact on a single point, syncing it to the target's so that the impact will rip a nice round hole in the target's field, and, were the target flesh, give it a really nasty bruise.

"Asuka, Rei, when it hits my AT field, take it out quickly."

"Why, can't you hold it?" Asuka, snide.

"Rei will stop it, like the bar on a boar-spear. I'm just going to rip it's AT field open right there," I point at the spot, "and it's core will be right above that spot." Nigouki nods, and draws its prog knife. Rei, I'm happy to notice, is already in position, preparing to stop its fall.

Thirteen seconds later by the internal clock it is all over, sync rate at 79.82.

Ten minutes later I'm shocked at the way I feel as the sync shuts down, totally bare, weak, powerless. I stay in my plug suit, LCL dripping from my hair as I walk up to the command center.

"Radio contact re-established. Connection from Ikari-shirei in Antartica."

"Put it through."

"Good job, Katsuragi-sansai." Father's voice.

"Thank you, sir."

"Is Shogouki's pilot there?" That is one of the things that I hate about him.

"Yes."

"I've heard the story, You did a good job, Shinji."

"Eh? Yes." That was a surprising thing to hear.

"Ja, Katsuragi-sansai, I leave the rest to you."

-8-

"You must keep your promise." Trust Asuka to think that Misato would forget. She might pretend to do so, if we didn't remind her, I admit.

"Alright. I've drawn big bills from the bank, so I can pay for a full-course dinner, even if it is just before payday."

"I know how much you have, so take it easy. Rei said that she'd eat ramen with us," Asuka soothes Misato, something I hadn't expected her.

Rei orders, "Garlic noodle without pork for me."

"A large shark fin with baked pork for me," Asuka orders.

"Shark fin with baked pork," The shopkeep hands her her order.

"Kitsune udon." The shopkeep hands my order over with remarkable speed, while Misato continues to peruse the menu.

"Oh, Misato."

"What?" she asks.

"I've decided not to eat meat anymore."

"Why?"

"For most of my life I haven't, and Rei's courage made me realize that I needed to stick up for myself a little more." She smiles at me.

---  
log:  
1998 -- written  
2000 December 25: editted (again)  
2003 April 17: editted, again, because it needed it.  
2003 October 3: Title block and acknowledgement.  
2009 July 5: mauled for posting to ff.n


	2. Episode Two

Acknowledgements:  
Well, first there is the Literal Translation Project, without whom this fic would be quite different, and take a lot longer to write.  
Next we have the FFML, who provide a much needed outlet for this, so that I can know that other people have at least read whatever it is before I send it to RAAC.  
Next, we have ADV, who pressed my Eva DVD box set.  
Next, we have Mangle, who pressed the Eva movies.  
Next, we have my fans (all four of you) who occasionally asked if I'd ever finish this . . . Thanks.

And, last, but definately not least, we have Gainax, and Anno-san, without whom I'd've never started this mess.

'Nuff of that.

Genom Research  
Presents

A St. Suika Fenderson Roberts  
FanFic

Shin Seiki  
Evangelion  
Chouchuanshan  
Episode two.

"Misato-san?"

"Yeah?"

"We don't have anything scheduled for the next couple days, right?"

"No, you're not. Why?"

"I've decided to go get some of my stuff, so I'm gonna be absent from school for the next couple days." Misato looks at me like I've got a third eye on my forehead.

"What a stupid thing to do!" Asuka rants at me, "I mean, I've finished off college, but you need to learn this junk!"

"Two days won't damage things that much. I assume you don't want to come with me, then," she shakes her head emphaticly.

"Well, then, I'm off." I pick up my bag, put my dishes in the sink, put my shoes on, then walk out the door. I'll ask Rei too, just to see. Which train does she take, anyway. . .

I wait for her to get off the train, walk up to her when she does.

"Ayanami-san, would you like to help me move my stuff to Misato's apartment?" she pauses, thinking.

"Where is your stuff, and how long will it take?"

"Kyoutou, and about two days."

She stands there for a moment, expressionless, then smiles her tiny smile.

"I'd like that, Shinji-kun."

I have to smile back at her.

"Do you need to get anything from your apartment and do you have your plugsuit?"

"No, and why do I need my plug suit. I have it, though." Her expression shifts to curiosity.

"I'm planning on borrowing my aunt's motorcycle to haul my junk, and I'm not sure if I have a set of leathers that will fit you." she smiles again, just the faintest bit broader.

"I've wanted to ride a motorcycle."

"I'll buy your ticket for the train, then." We walk to the ticket counter, and I purchase two tickets on the shinkansen.

We sit down to wait for the train, and I fish out my DAT player, pop ETL out and feed it BBHC. I start it playing, dig the fourth volume of the Five Star Stories manga out of my bag, start to read, and notice after a page that Rei is just staring at the wall. I stop the tape and pop the earphones out.

"What is wrong?" She shakes her head.

"Nothing. Why do you ask."

"You look so bored. Can I loan you a manga?"

She nods, suddenly so shy. I dig the first volume of FSS out, and hand it to her. Soon she is buried in the story, and I put away volume four to concentrate on my tape.

She's on the third volume by the point that the train gets here, and I have to tap her on the shoulder when it comes time to board.

She's read all of them three times by the time the shinkansen reaches Kyoutou.

"We're here," she looks up at me, "I'll call my aunt to see if we can't bum a ride." She nods, and stands as the train slows to a stop. We disembark together, slip through the crowd looking for a quiet spot to call from. It takes four rings for her to answer.

"Yello?" Yep, it's Ranma all right.

"Ranma-chan!" She's never let me call her 'Obasan,' or any of it's synonyms, "It's me, Shinji. I was wondering if I could talk you out of a ride home for me and my friend."

There is a slight pause as she either checks what she's supposed to do today or consults with her spice, then she replies.

"Sure. How much junk do you have with you?"

"Not much. Two school bags between us."

"I'll bring Beemu-chan, then," her Beemu-chan is an old BMW with a sidecar, named after the one owned by our friend Morisato Keiichi. "You took the shinkansen, right?" I make an afirmative noise, and she continues, "I'll meet you in front of the station in about thirty minutes, then." We exchange a last few pleasantries, and I hang up the phone.

"You'll get to ride a motorcycle a bit sooner than you might have expected. Ranma-san's bringing her motorcycle with the sidecar, and she'll be here in about a half hour. Said she'd meet us out front, so . . ." I wave her towards the door, following a few paces behind her, admiring her self-consiously. I've always worried about how proper it was to watch someone, despite Ranma telling me repeatedly that admiring someone is fine, even letting them know that one admires them is fine, only pressing the matter and acting like I have a right to do anything more than admire is wrong. Asuka doesn't help, I must admit.

Rei finds a seat on a convieniently protruding bit of building, pats the space between her and the wall. It'll be a bit tight, but she must know that, so I sit there, brushing the wall on one side and her hip on the other.

"Trade?" I proffer my DAT deck, holding out my other hand for the manga she has. She nods, taking the player as she hands me volume four. I turn to page 120, and by the time Ranma arrives I'm three pages into the sleeve notes. Rei pokes me in the side, and I look up to see Ranma pulling up to the curb.

"That's her. I'll take the sidecar, if that's OK." She smiles just a hair brighter than the last time, and my heart almost stops. Goddess.

"That would be perfect." Ranma tosses me my helmet before I can respond, and I leap to catch it, the starburst patterns in reflective tape still sharp, having been replicated twice on two successive helmets. I make sure that Rei has the spare helmet on right, then climb into the sidecar while Rei climbs on behind Ranma, wrapping her arms about the woman's waist. Ranma politely doesn't do what she would have had I been alone, and drives away with all three wheels on the ground at a fairly sedate 45 KPH. The two of them chatter animatedly, or as animatedly as one can on a motorcycle without an intercom, about motorcycles, riding, Ranma, and Ranma's spice. Rei seems totally shocked by the fact that Ranma has two legal, female, spice.

"How did that happen?" Rei asks.

"I fell in love with both of them, they each agreed that they could deal with the other, we lived together for a while, and then we all got married. It was a little bit of a strange ceremony, I must admit." Rei makes a rather strange contemplative sound. I pass it off as nothing.

"We're here. Rei-chan, you can get off. Shinji-chan, I expect you for dinner tomorrow night, OK?" I nod, then ask.

"Can I borrow your GoldWing? I need to move my stereo and some other junk I've got to Toukyou-3." She looks worried, so I continue, "Look, I didn't drop it last time, or run it over, up, or off any curbs. And I'll be on the highway, which will make things easier." She doesn't look too convinced, but finally nods. She pulls her Beemu-chan into the garage, takes her helmet off, and sets it on the gastank before walking back out under the closing door.

"Don't forget you're coming to dinner tomorrow night, and I will be quite upset if you trash the GoldWing." I hug her, once again ever so glad to have her as a friend and surrogate parent.

"I won't." She kisses me on the forehead, and sends me upstairs with a slight push.

"This is my apartment. I've had it all to myself for pretty much the last ten years." Rei looks at me and tries to echo 'ten years,' but doesn't send enough air past her vocal chords for it to be audible. I giggle at the sight. "Ranma-san and her spice pretty much took over, raising me like I was their own. I sometimes worry about what would have happened if they hadn't. I need to check my email, then I'll make lunch, OK?" She nods, and I pull BBHC from my pocket, then feed it to the DAT drive on my stereo. With a quick whirring noise it begins to be copy onto the 800 TB nanocore drive, which will then sync with the main archive, and spread my copy of BBHC across the globe.

"Isn't that a little dangerous?"

"What? Having the DAT set to auto-copy?" I can feel her nod, even half-engrossed in the email I haven't touched for days. Ten messages down, thirty-nine to go. "I've got it set up so that it can't execute anything it drags off, and it bit-buckets anything that isn't proper audio data or meta data. Combined with the fact that I have the console physically locked up, it's pretty safe." A few minutes later I've finished, and the stereo is done syncing. I close the ancient Toshiba Libretto that I use as a control console, once more glad of the pair of modified bluetooth cards. Rei looks at it in wonder, modern devices in such a small form factor are just unavailable.

"It was my mother's. She left it, her motorcycle, and this appartment to me when she died. I first got into music when I was 8, because of this. I joined Archive less than six months later. Now I'm one of the four Japanese Archive mirrors." She looks impressed, something that I hadn't expected at all.

"Ichijou Miyuki." I blink at her in shock. How had she figured that out, I didn't think that I'd let slip enough clues for just anyone to piece it together.

"How?"

"She's the only one of the mirrors that runs off of a dot ac dot jp address, she dropped out of sight from 2004 until 2009, and your speech patterns are slowly getting closer to her writing style." She walks up to me, presses one hand against my cheek, "If you get uncomfortable you can tell me to stop or slow down." She pushes me towards the open door to my bedroom, pressing her belly against my crotch.

"Shinji-kun, what happened to you?" I stammer for a few instants, then she continues, "I'd guess this has something to do with your recent changes. Don't worry, I'm not disappointed."

She kisses me on the lips for emphasis, and I stumble over my own feet; her tounge slipping between my lips takes too much CPU for me to keep walking. She falls on top of me, just inside the doorway to my room. She takes it as an opportunity to pull my uniform shirt off, unbuttoning it quickly, one-handed as her other hand slides up my undershirt, cupping my breast, nibbling lightly at my neck. Blessed Eris, but that feels good. I gasp encouragement, wiggle out of my shirt as best I can without dislodging her from on top of me.

[ rest of scene chokki (snipped) in the interests of getting this out quickly ] [ and avoiding that 'lemon' tag, even though the sex is rather important ] [ to the flow of the story. I'll just pretend it got written. --S. ]

My alarm, sensing at least one warm body in the room, goes off at six-thirty in the morning. I wake to the most deliciously warm weight on top of me, muzzily wrap my arms about it, wake up a little more as I realize that it is Rei, her head pillowed on my breast and the tip of her strap-on pressed to my belly near my navel. She blinks at me, far more awake than she has any right to be.

"Morning, Shinji-chan." I blink at the change in honorific, decide that I like it, and smile up at her. "We should take a bath," there is a little bit of regret in her voice, but she kisses me lightly on the lips and stands; walking from my room her strap-on bobs ridiculously with each step she takes. I lever myself up off the futon, glad we'd had enough sense to lay it out yesterday before things got too far, and follow her towards the bathroom; decide at the last instant that I need to drain my bladder _now_, rather than after a bath.

I slip on the toilet slippers and use the toilet, open the door to see Rei waiting. I shed the slippers quickly, and she puts them on and closes the door. I walk to the bathroom, start the tub filling, notice her harness hung on a hook, her strap-on on the floor next to the shower. I fill a bucket and douse myself with warm water while I wait.

I'm just starting to get cold when she walks through the door, dropping down behind me to nibble on the back of my neck, causing me to arch my back, pressing into the carress of her teeth.

"Not now, after our bath," the regret in her voice is obvious now.

"Then we'd have to take another bath, wouldn't we?" She presses herself against my back, nods her head against my shoulder. "So either we go ahead now or we put it off for a while. I don't know about you, but I don't think sex proves we love each other. It's the other things, being willing to hold hands or kiss in public, the knowledge that the other will back one up when one needs it, and being there when things aren't going as well as they could."

She hugs me tight, compressing my ribs slightly with the force of her grip. "I was worried," she pauses for a long instant, "that you didn't." She pauses for another moment, "Love me."

I reach behind me to wrap my arms around her, pull her firmly against me. "I worried the same." I'm shocked to find tears flowing down my face, I'd thought they'd all dried up a long time ago. Rei lets me go, shifts me around so I'm crying onto her shoulder, and holds me for quite a while. I calm down at last, murmur, "hontou ni arigatou," ever so softly, just barely loud enough for her to hear me.

"Dou itashimashitte," she replies, almost as softly. "We still need to wash," she says in a louder voice. I nod silently, and the mood shifts, as both of us get the same contemplative look on our faces, and things break down into a tickling match. Rei manages to pin me, and tickles me to the point that I turn green. Kimochi ii yo. She somehow knows to stop at that point, so I don't end up dry heaving on the tiles, just pleasantly queasy. I'm too far gone to move, so she washes us both quickly, efficiently, scrubbing my back with the force that only another person can apply. I've recovered a little bit by the time she finishes rinsing me off, so I scrub her back, the faint moans of pleasure warming my soul. I sluice her down and we slip into the tub, I'd missed bathing with others ever since I'd gone to Toukyou-3. I admit there is something different about having a bath with someone who isn't old enough to be one's grandmother, and who hasn't been bathing with one since one was four. It's very nice, actually. I lean into Rei's embrace, warm and more comfortable than I have been anywhere except an Eva cockpit in months.

After about a half-hour's soak we climb out, dry off. I carefully don't watch her, not wanting to strain my self control.

I leave the towel draped about my hips as I walk out to th living room, wake my Libretto, Misako, and check my email. There are four dozen 'Oh my goddess, where did you find _this_?' mails, and a couple from my net . friends in reply to the mails I'd sent the night before. I process-mark all of the 'Omg' mails, and reply to all of them at once, 'I picked it up in a record store that wasn't there. You wouldn't belive me if I elaborated.' a few of them will press for more, and I'll probably tell them, but that can wait for a bit. I mail the Archive maintainers, telling them that I'll be moving the server, and it will be down for a day or so, and when it comes back up it will be at 6e .4b .tokyo3 .nerv , and that they could alias it.

I check to make sure that there isn't anyone connected to my stereo and downloading things before I send it the shutdown command, watch while it unlinks from the net; kills off all the processes; unmounts both of the 5.25" full-height SCSI-5 drives, the 400 TB that was so large just four years ago, and the 800 TB that I'd replaced its partner with a year and a half ago; and powers down the optical vinyl player, the speakers, and the DAT drive. I frob the main power switch when it flashes 'rebooting.'

Next I try to stuff Misako into my pocket, only then realizing that I'm still only wearing a towel and Rei is standing behind me, dressed in her blouse. I quickly dig my school bag out while Rei posilutely radiates amusement, not that anyone who didn't know her would be able to tell. I slip Misako into one of the inside pockets, then drop the towel to put on my plug suit. I hit the switch and it squinches down tightly, squashing my breasts flatter, not that they aren't almost flat normally, but they are appallingly tender. That done I turn back to my stereo.

I unscrew the external SCSI cable from the back of the stereo, disconnecting first the speakers from the DAT drive, then the DAT drive from the vinyl player, then the external drive box from that, finally unplugging everything from the wall. I unfold the stereo's handle, picking the box up, again impressed at what DEC had managed to cram into a package the size of a VAXStation 2000. Near as I could tell, in fact, they had just used a VAXStation chassis. I set it on the floor, bound across the room in a single leap, and pull the boxes stacked in my closet out.

"Rei, the speakers should be stuffed into this box, the inserts only accept them one way." I toss the mid-sized box to her, then lob the boxes for the external SCSI drive case, the DAT, the vinyl player, and my stereo in that direction after she catches it. I walk back, carrying the MicroVax that I had used for the archive server before I got my stereo, because I haven't been practicing and I'd crush any of the boxes if I landed on them. It only takes a few moments to pack both the ancient, though modified, Sun drive box and my stereo safely. I hook the Vax up, turn it on, then go off in search of the sticky-tape as Rei puts the top insert into the speaker box. It takes me a few moments to find it, and when I return Rei has packed the DAT and is working on the OVP. I start to tape the boxes shut.

Rei asks, when I'm on the third one, "OK, now what?" She's both a lot more animated and a lot happier than I've ever seen her, and the way she phrases the short question suddenly clicks with other things, and congeals into a question.

"Amano Lantis-chan?" She nods, and her behavior towards me last night suddenly makes a lot more sense. We'd both been very discreet about our real lives, other than letting slip that we were about twenty, female, and _most_ of the things we did or said were true to our real selves. Finding out Lantis-chan was male would have been shocking, but this I could deal with pretty well. I finish taping the box I'm working on, then reply to her question.

"We need to finish taping the boxes, pack my clothes, and clean up the place before we leave." She nods, picks up the second roll of tape, and we finish the last two boxes.

I lead the way into my bedroom, pull out my old set of leathers. They're in fairly good shape, I just outgrew them. "Try these on. If they fit and you want them, they're yours," I tell her before stripping down, again, and digging for a set of boxers.

I can't help watching as she slips them on, she's not a lot smaller than I am, so they fit tightly, but the black and Gundam blue suits her better than it ever did me. I fish my current set out, a black, grey, and white dazzle pattern that I think suits me a little better. I finish zipping up the zipper, only to find Rei watching me closely.

"Thank you," she says, her voice small, she's always had a hard time saying that, so it means even more than it would have before I realized that she is Lantis-chan. I kiss her lightly, my lips just brushing the hollow where her jaw joins her throat, and she clutches me tightly, sagging against me, like I would have collapsed when she nibbled at my throat last night, had I not already been flat on my back on the floor.

"You'll need it. Problems come most often when one isn't prepared for them." She nods, firming her knees and straightening.

"So, what else do you have to pack?"

"Not much, my clothes, make sure Ranma has a copy of the the Fairlady's keys, and . . ." Rei cuts me off excitedly,

"Fairlady? As in Nissan Fairlady?"

"Yeah, she's a 240ZG, Mako-neechan gave her to me on my fourteenth birthday. Said that she'd gotten it a long time ago, and that she thought I'd take good care of her. She taught me how to drive, but I can't get a license for another couple years." My being a NERV asset, an 'international agent' to quote Misato, suddenly occured to me. Rei notices the sudden gleam in my eyes.

"What are you thinking? If it's that you could probably get away with driving it now, you should remember what happened to Misato-san's car." That dims the excitement a bit, but I still start packing franticly. Her voice turns contemplative as she continues, "That doesn't mean you couldn't drive about _here_, now does it?" I shake my head, and she starts packing as well, helping me squash my closet-full of fancy Chinese clothes into the two suitcases I have. I set aside four garments, two of which no longer fit me, but I couldn't bear to throw away. We each close a suitcase simultaneously; I glance up to make sure the closet is empty.

I strip out of my leathers, put on the pair of pants I'd left out for myself, tie the ankles and waist, then put the shirt on, button up the frogs and turn back the cuffs to show the white lining. Rei has the other set on, nearly identical, but a little bit smaller, the black lightly greyed from repeated washings. That had been my favorite outfit from the time I recieved it, when I was ten, until I finally grew out of it, and I'd made sure that I didn't damage it. Rei smiles at me, a smile so broad that it was almost normal.

"Coming?" She nods, and I slip out the door, snag two sets of keys off the hook by the door, stuff one into my shirt-pocket, and lock the door behind us with the other. She follows me down to the garage, and I point out some of the vehicles.

"That's the GoldWing," I point to the huge motorcycle in the middle of the row of bikes, "the Hawk is mine," I point out the green and silver painted bike on the end, "and the Fairlady is in the other room." I lead her through, slip between the bumpers and the wall as I work my way to her, explaining what each car is as I pass it, "This one is a '67 Subaru Ladybug, this is a '50 split-window beetle, '57 Kharmann Ghia, '64 Fairlady 240ZG," I slip up the driver's side, unlock the door while Rei walks around to the passenger's side. She slips into the passenger seat, and points inquisitively with her chin at the other three cars in the room. "Next over is a Mercedes 300SL Gullwing, an old Triumph Spitfire that wasn't running as of the last I heard, and the last one is a lighthouse windowed '50 Studebaker Starliner Coupe. Most of the parts in the Starliner are replacements from other types of cars, though. I think she's got a rotary out of an RX-7 in her right now." I start the engine, hit the button to open the garage door, make sure that the mirrors haven't been moved, and turn to make sure Rei has her seat belt on.

"Rei, buckle up. I'm not _likely_ to get in an accident, but if I do and you're not wearing your seatbelt, it could be rather bad." She nods, putting on the seatbelt. I back out into the driveway, hit the button on the remote again. As soon as the door's closed all the way I pull back into the non-existant traffic, keeping carefully to the speed limit as I point out some of the features of Kyoutou, making a note to myself to bring Rei back when I have time to show her about the city, and Nara would be a lot of fun too.

"How long will it take us to get to Toukyou-3?"

"About four hours. Guess we'd better get back, then." I manage to get us back after only another half hour, if we work at it we can still get on the road before ten. I pause in the driveway, waiting for the garage door to open, then park Miria carefully in her spot.

"Does she have a name?"

"Miria?" She looks puzzled, pats the dashboard. "Yeah. Sorry I forgot to mention it. Mako-neechan named her."

"Nice name," she says as she climbs out, "after the Zentraedi pilot?" I hadn't thought of that, but it makes sense.

"Tabun." She nods as I lock Miria's doors, then follows me back into the motorcycle room. I move the pile of helmets off of the trailer, make sure the tires are at pressure, then back the GoldWing around, stopping with her possitioned to head out the door easily. It's only nine, so I don't expect anyone to be by, and it should be safe despite sitting crosswise to the door. I hook up the trailer, then head to my apartment, propping doors along the way. A half hour later we're changed, all of my stuff is packed into the trailer.

'The intercom hooks in like so,' I say, pressing the light device into its mount in the helmet, then dragging the mic into position. Lantis-chan nods in understanding.

And I realize that we haven't eaten, "Asagohan o tabenai no?"

She nods in agreement.

I knock at Ranma's apartment door, get no response, as I more than half expected. I key in, check Miria's keys against the set I think is Ranma's copy. They match.

The important stuff dealt with, we proceed to raid the rice-cooker, noticing the note on it, 'Shinji-chan, I fixed more than normal, so you'd better feed your friend too, --Ran.'

I fish out a pair of rice bowls, hand one and a set of chopsticks to Rei, set mine down next to the rice-cooker, rinse the scoop, then hold out my hand for Rei's bowl.

"How much?"

"Full." I manage to fill her bowl in two scoops, then hand it back to her.

"The soy sauce is by the sink." She takes it and splashes it liberally across her rice. Such a girl after my own heart; most people are appalled by the thought, some even get a bit queasy. Three scoops of rice later I have my bowl full, and, closing the cooker, I reach for the shouyu.

We down three bowls each, emptying the cooker, so I wash it along with the bowls.

"Yoush, we're off." Rei nods, and I pull the GoldWing's keys from the hook. I quickly run about, feeling quite silly, and make sure that all the doors are locked, then join Rei at the GoldWing. She climbs on behind while I steady the huge 'cycle, attaches the intercom to her helmet, then we wait as the engine warms. I put my helmet on, make sure the straps are tight, look behind me to make sure that Rei has hers on before testing the intercom.

"Rei, can you hear me?"

"Fine. You?"

"Loud and clear." I slowly pull out into the driveway, make sure that the trailer is clear before I hit the button to close the garage door. Moments later we're pulling onto the freeway, and I momentarily regret taking the GoldWing. It does have a huge engine, bigger than the split-window, but it isn't as fun to ride with another person. Now that I consider it, that's probably a good thing, since I haven't ridden a bike in months and the trailer really mucks with the Hawk's suspension.

We chatter about the kinds of things we said we would have to if we ever met in person for a while, then she asks one of the questions I've been half waiting for, half fearing.

"Why haven't you been practicing the Arts? You said that the only times you felt like yourself were when you were practicing and doing email, and that dropped off greatly after your first fight with an Angel."

"My email dropped off partly 'cause I was in the hospital off and on, partly 'cause of the added trouble of the link to my stereo made it a pain to write any email, and for a big part because I felt rather broken. When I didn't get any reply for weeks I really began to worry that I'd somehow gotten you angry at me, and even the knowledge that finger said you hadn't logged in for, by the day I left for Toukyou-3, four weeks, six by the time you finally replied didn't help with that. I could tell you were hiding something, but I couldn't think of what. I knew I should practice my martial arts, and that it would make me feel better, but I just couldn't, and that made me feel worse, deepening the spiral." Rei squeezes my shoulder tightly.

"I knew you were hiding something too, and couldn't take the risk of finding out our relationship was just a game on your part. The very fact that I'd been hospitallized was top-secret until I went back to school." I hear her draw in a deep breath, which makes me wonder for a moment if the intercom's VOX circuit is working, "Why do you only feel like yourself when you are practicing or working on the martial arts?"

The other doozy of a question, "Because those are the two places that my gender doesn't matter. Living with Ranma I formed a firm opinion about who and what I am, and I found that my conduct was judged very differently outside Ranma's circle of friends. When I discovered the net I just used my mom's account, and I was shocked to find that my behavior, although unchanged, was read very differently, more like I expected. Did you ever read my 'list of reasons to be glad I'm not male?'" I feel her nod, continue, "then you know what I'm talking about, most of the incidents there are from my own life."

"Blessed," the weight of feeling behind that one word almost compresses the GoldWing's suspension.

-8-

I feel even closer to her when we finally arrive in Toukyou-3 than when I realized that she is Lantis-chan. She's actually started talking like Lantis-chan, too, which gives me some hope that she'll be a little bit more assertive from now on. The knowledge about her physical being is more troubling, for she is not human. Her soul is clustered about her belly rather than her head, like an Angel or an EVA, I suddenly realize, and is too _new_ for her age, this is barely her second incarnation. Ranma said that before Second Impact lots of people, 'far too many' in her words, had new souls. One still runs into some of them, but everybody born after Second Impact has an old soul that's been recycled at least three times. I'll ask Ranma, she'll know either what to do, how to cope, or who to talk to in order to find out.

It takes longer than I would like to cart all of my junk up to Misato's apartment, since one of us has to stay to watch the stuff while the other one carries. I take the first load, my stereo and the expansion box. I can feel Rei's amusement as I waddle slowly under the thirty-seven kilo mass. I find a clear spot in my room, moving several boxes aside, and plug my stereo into the ethernet drop and the expansion box, hooking both to the wall power socket.

Rei will take the next load, and I contemplate telling her as I walk back. I decide to trust her.

"Rei, we can get the rest of it in one load." She looks at me like I'm a little off my rocker, but doesn't protest as I lock the trailer to the GoldWing's rear wheel. I pick up the two suitcases, and hold my arms for either the DAT and the OVP or the speaker box. She puts the speaker box in my arms, it doesn't weigh as much, and picks up the other two. I open the door when we get to it, and she doesn't notice that I didn't touch it physically. She does notice the elevator button, though, since I make no effort to hide it.

"How?" She blinks when her load suddenly becomes lighter.

"To quote my teacher, 'the Force is strong.' I've been in training as a Zanji mystic for a long time. You've seen Star Wars, right?" She shakes her head, and I'm rather appalled. "Zanji is a lot like the religion of the Jedi, only with Zanji the Force is viewed as being neutral, with no difference between a dark and light side. One is judged on what one does with the Force, rather than how one does it." I continue the explanation as we ride the elevator up, and finish setting up my stereo, daisy-chaining the power cords and SCSI cables for the speakers, DAT drive, and OVP back to the drive box.

I flip the power switches, and everything beeps happily and comes back on line. I wake Misako, then redo the /etc/hosts, and /etc/rc.1 files. I re-run /etc/rc.1 and telnet to my old address. 'Miyuki's Vax, running Ultrix 4.1\nLogin: ' it prompts. I login as root, rewrite a couple of the files about the archive, saying that the main site has moved and giving the new address. I log out, close Misako's screen.

"OK, that's done. Now we just need to take the Goldwing back and get back in time for school tomorrow." Rei giggles at me and I look up at Asuka, who is glaring at me for some reason that I can't quite place, and has been for the last couple minutes.

"What are you doing?" Goddess, but her voice grates when she wants it to.

"Moving my Archive server." She blinks at me, stares at the DEC logo on my stereo, and looks up at me again.

"YOU ARE ICHIJOU MIYUKI!?!?" She almost makes the room shake, and if this was a Star Trek episode the ceiling would have fallen in.

"Like my mother before me." She whirls and runs from the room. For the final test, to make sure that everything is working properly I queue up the Stones' 'Paint it Black', followed by 'Ball and Chain' off Big Brother and the Holding Company's Cheap Thrills album. I wonder why she ran as I start them playing, re-arranging the speakers while 'PiB' plays. I tweak the placement of the boxen while I check to see if she could be one of the women I've net. flirted with. If she is I don't know what could be so awful, since the only person I ever got past net. flirting with was Lantis-chan.

"Ittekimasu!" I call from the door, but Asuka doesn't answer. I guess she's still sulking, so I lock the door before heading down the stairs as fast as I dare, which is quite a bit faster than the elevator. By the time I reach the bike Rei has unlocked it, stuffing the lock back into it's slot on the trailer's top, and has her helmet on. I hadn't even noticed her filching the GoldWing's keys. I take my helmet when she hands it to me, and the keys. The GoldWing handles a little bit funny as I back her out, almost like the trailer isn't empty. I pass that off as being paranoid, having checked the tire pressures beforehand. Rei climbs on behind me, and we pull out into the street again. Only 1445, so we'll arrive before dinnertime.

We make good time, and I admit that I speed a little bit, about 25 KPH over the limit from when we got out of Toukyou-3 'til the outer limits of Kyoutou.

We pull into Ranma's driveway at about 18, 1803 by the GoldWing's clock. I park the Goldwing in its spot, then unhook the trailer and realize it really isn't empty.

"Rei, we have a hitch-hiker." Her eyes positively light up.

"Can I tickle her?" She uses 'ore' to refer to herself.

"OK. I'll hold her down for you." She smiles when I use 'ore' myself, and nods at my suggestion. I open the trailer, and sure enough, there's Asuka. Unfortunately she isn't in any condition to be tickled.

"Fuck. I didn't know the trailer was so well-sealed." Scooping Asuka up in my arms, I lift her easily out of the trailer, setting the trailer in the corner where it goes, not bothering to mask my use of the Force. I slip the lock's bolt back, opening the door into the hallway as I walk towards it, then walk quickly to Ranma's door, Rei at my side, very concerned about what is happening.

I knock four times on Ranma's door, the 'emergency' code.

---  
log:  
written in 1998 shortly after SSEC 1  
2000 December 25: editted (again)  
2003 April 18: editted, a bit.  
2003 October 3: Title block and acknowledgement.  
2009 July 12: Tiny edits, mauled for posting to ff.n


	3. Episode Three

Acknowledgements:  
Well, first there is the Literal Translation Project, without whom this fic would be quite different, and take a lot longer to write.  
Next we have the FFML, who provide a much needed outlet for this, so that I can know that other people have at least read whatever it is before I send it to RAAC.  
Next, we have ADV, who pressed my Eva DVD box set.  
Next, we have Mangle, who pressed the Eva movies.  
Next, we have my fans (all four of you) who occasionally asked if I'd ever finish this . . . Thanks.

And, last, but definately not least, we have Gainax, and Anno-san, without whom I'd've never started this mess.

'Nuff of that.

Genom Research  
Presents

A St. Suika Fenderson Roberts  
FanFic

Shin Seiki  
Evangelion  
Chouchuanshan  
Episode three.

I wiggle myself out of bed, being careful not to wake Rei, and dress in my normal sparring outfit. The t-shirt and shorts are not traditional, but they are non-constrictive and easy to replace, Ranma-chan's key requirements for combat clothing, since bladed weapons will make short work of most types of cloth.

I slip into the main room and check on Asuka, despite Ami-neechan's assurances that she'd be OK. She's deeply asleep, moving fitfully, her eyes fluttering behind their lids, dreaming.

I start stretching quietly, wincing as joints protest their unaccustomed use, gradually moving more fluidly as I work myself loose after three months of not bothering.

Asuka wakes behind me, audibly flinches as I drop into a full sideways splits. I've never understood that reaction, when it is done right nothing gets squashed.

'Shinji-kun?'

'Un. Ami-neechan said you'd have a nasty hangover, but it should fade by mid-morning.' I turn to face her and she stares at me for a long moment before I realize why. 'Yeah, it's a little weird. Don't worry about it.'

'You've turned into a girl and you tell me not to worry about it? Bad enough you steal my boyfriend.' She turns away from me and glares at the wall while I try to figure out what is going on.

'I don't remember doing anything like that. What is his name.'

'Amano Lantis.'

'And what was the name you gave him?' Rei asks from the doorway to the bedroom, mostly clad in a sheet.

'Erhart - '

'Reindas. I though you were male.'

'I never said I was!'

'You never said you _weren't._'

'Neither did you.' Asuka's volume keeps inching up.

'It's in my finger information just above my snail address.' Rei looks down, 'I shoulda written an ack of your card, as I really appreciated it, but it arrived while I was in the hospital and I only got around to dealing with my snail mail three weeks ago.'

I blink up at Rei, considering for the first time that the way I saw her quarters may not be their normal state.

'Shin-chan, you up?'

'Hai.'

'Good. Best two?'

'Un.' Ranma turns to lead the way to the vacant lot that we practice in, and I sidestep, grabbing Asuka's ankle so I won't have to patch the hole her foot would leave in the wall otherwise. We fall into a pile on the floor, 'If you want you can come watch, but I've not had a chance to spar with Ranma-chan in months, so I don't have time to fight right now, OK?'

'Baka.' We disentangle and Asuka straightens her uniform, quite crumpled from being slept in as well as our fall.

'Armed or unarmed?' I ask. Asuka and Rei hang back, sitting quietly in one corner of the lot. Ranma stands easily, about four meters away.

'You know me. Unarmed.' I smile at her, drop into a waiting stance, feel the way the universe moves about us, and attack, lobbing myself through the intervening space almost without thinking about it. Ranma's dodge requires no thought at all, although her answering strike causes enough disturbance for me to dodge it. I adopt an agressive stance, waiting, the fluxing universe showing me that nothing will happen for a moment as Ranma centers herself, the disturbance she makes fading. In a few moments she will leave no trace of herself in the fields, and I fight to center myself well enough to match her. Rei's faint gasp almost shocks me, almost makes me lose the calm so necessary to rendering myself a neutral presence. I smile faintly, warmed by the acknowledgment of my skill, and any hint of Ranma's intentions fades from the ether. I calm myself still further, leaving only a faint tinge of my plans in the ether, then try something I'd never quite managed to accomplish, although Ranma had successfully pulled it on me more than once in our training.

I let a muffled intent to attack from Ranma's right leak into the ether as I launch myself into a full blown suicide flip, dropping behind her and managing a full-speed strike to the back of her neck, managing to pull the blow almost totally, barely brushing the back of her neck.

'One for you.' Ranma smiles at me, and points at the other two, who are radiating slack-jawed amazement. I grin back, pleased by my easy victory, and sure the next one will take a lot more work.

As is usual whenever I let myself actually predict the future, I'm right. Ranma makes a much more active assult, her feel in the ether still the annoying calmness of a rock or an avalanche, without the faintest hint of intent. I still cannot manage that deep, intentless, Zen state, but the very attempt is more wonderful than, almost, anything I've experienced in the last several months.

For short minutes it seems neither of us has the upper hand, for I have nearly Ranma's strength and speed, but my endurance has suffered greatly from lack of use, and I start slipping, making stupid mistakes as my blood sugar starts to drop, barely making my saves. Suddenly my weakness proves a boon, for I sag, unable to manage the kick I had intended, and I take Ranma by surprise, a single rising blow to the gut, and she doubles over, slaps the ground once and bounds to her feet.

'You should have pulled that a bit more.'

I nod, having only managed to remind myself that it wasn't a real, full contact, match at the last instant. Of course, in my current shape I'd have been a bleeding mess within the first half hour if it had been a full-contact bout.

Rei, I note, is staring at her watch. It takes me a moment to reorient myself, to remember how few can manage an hour and a half battle before breakfast, even if it is just a sparring match, and I walk over and drop lightly to my knees in front of her.

'So, what do you think.' Rei looks up at me, an expresion that at first I cannot place in her eyes.

Suddenly she has me on my back, sitting on my hips. 'If you can hold your own against the rock over there, why don't you stop me when I do this?'

I blink up at her, feeling the blue funk spreading slowly off of Asuka, wondering just what she doesn't understand. 'Because I like it when you do that.'

'How can you. I could not . . . cope . . . with someone doing this to me.' her question is asked in the same soft tone that she asked me move that first time I saw her appartment.

'You've read much of the same stuff I have; I'm just not wired the same.'

'Yah, but I just can't really comprehend it on anything more than an intellectual level.' Rei stands up, pulls me to my feet, and I look around, spotting Asuka being dragged off by Ranma.

Breakfast is really quiet, with recriminating glances shooting across the room. Afterwards I excuse myself, slip up to my room and get dressed, then head down to the garage, wondering how I'm going to get the other two home; I don't trust myself to take two people on the Hawk. I lean back against the wall, contemplating whether to try and make Asuka take the Shinkansen back or call about and see if I can get someone to come along for the trip, when I see her.

She was one of the reasons I didn't want to go to Tokyo just then, all that time ago. I'd just bought her, had only had the chance to ride her about once or twice, and then, snap, off I go to NERV. I walk over, check the dust, which is fairly light, fish up under the tank and flip the kill-switch, open the fill-cap and check the fuel level. She's a full tank, so I walk back over to the door, flip on the fans, and pull her keys from the board. She starts on the first kick, and I smile happily. I shut her down again and go in search of the others, stopping to kill the fans on the way out.

'Rei? Asuka?' The two girls look at me, Asuka still in her uniform, Rei in her riding leathers, the zipper partly down to keep from roasting in the warmth of the room. I drop into seiza near them, stare at the floor for a moment. 'As I see it we have two choices: we can send Asuka back on the Shinkansen, or she can ride in my beemu-chan's sidecar.'

'Your beemu-chan?' Rei's voice shows enough interest that I have to look up at her.

'Yeah. She's actually a Ural,' that gets two blank looks, so I explain, 'A Russian clone of the old BMW motorcycles. Mine is a 1998 Tourist model, and most closely resembles the BMW R-50. I'd only had her a couple days when I went off to Tokyo-3.' I watch Rei, and she chooses.

'Asuka will ride in the sidecar, right, Erhart?' Asuka just nods acquiescence, and I head off to see about borrowing a helmet for a few months.

*

'Let's see if this one will fit, Asuka-chan.' Mako-neechan hands her a helmet, the second one to be tried, and it fits her nicely. Rita, Mako-neechan's friend, nods her approval, her unnaturally grey hair still holding Asuka's attention completely.

Finally she asks, 'Rita-san, where are you from?'

Rita laughs, amused. 'I wasn't expecting that particular question from you. It doesn't much matter, as I'm never returning there.'

'You look somewhat like Rei, so I was wondering.'

'I am quite different from her.' Mako-neechan smirks a little at that, and again I wonder about Rita, for I've seen a lot of indications that Rita isn't what she seems over the years.

Asuka sure flusters easily, 'I know that! I just meant that perhaps both of you are descended from the same people or somthing!'

'Mako-chan?' Mako-neechan lays a hand on Rita's cheek, and they stare into each others eyes for a moment, then Rita turns to us again. 'We trust you not to blab this about too much, but I'm not human.' Her feet leave the floor, and she hangs lightly in midair.

'Rita-san, that is not the best proof of non-human status,' I say, centering myself before I lift into the air.

She smiles at me, 'I know, but I figured it would help dull the shock when I do this,' she grabs her right wrist in her left hand and there is a terrible rending noise as she twists it firmly, ripping her right hand loose. She drops to the floor again, and I wince in sympathetic pain, slipping up to her, as, I note absently, are Asuka and Rei. She holds her hand out, and the flesh revealed is definately not human, metallic bone protruding from faintly magenta muscle, a few drops of red blood dripping down her hand, the skin split across the bone, but holding her right hand to her body three quarters of the way around.

'Seems like good proof to me.' Asuka says in a queasy voice, staring at her own hand.

'Seen enough?'

'Yeah.' Even Rei is affected, I note.

Rita opens her left hand and clenches her right, which draws the bones back together, straightens her wrist, and pulls the wound closed. Intertwining her fingers she pulls, and a few grating noises later lets go, rubbing the faint scar firmly.

'Don't worry, the scar'll be gone by Monday when I need to go back to work.' She smiles, and Mako-neechan rubs her neck lightly. Rita leans back into the carress, and suddenly I have Rei pressed lightly to my side.

Rei has Asuka's face cupped lightly in her other hand, and I'm shocked by the lack of jealousy this engenders.

'You'd better be going if you aren't going to miss another day of school. This is your third, right?' I nod, and Rei leads us out the door. We all pile back into Miria, Asuka's borrowed helmet clutched carefully in her arms as Rei pulls the seatbelt carefully over both of them. I climb into the right seat and start her up, let her warm as I get my seatbelt on, then pull her carefully back into the street, keeping carefully to the limits as I make for Ranma's house.

We pull in, pile out, and I slip into the house to put Miria's keys away while Rei helps Asuka dress. A few moments later we store the little bit of cruft we need to take back behind the seat in the sidecar, and I open the garage door and try to kick my beemu-chan over.

*Ka-chumph* *Ka-chumph* I stop, go through the whole check again. Stand, up. Petcock, on. Neutral, engaged. Run-switch, on. Ignition, on. Kill switch, off. Oh. I flip it. *Ka-chumph Umble umble* I back her out of the garage while the motor warms, close the door after the other two have exited. I pull my helmet on while the engine smooths out the rest of the way.

'Climb on,' I tell Rei. 'You too. I'd put on the seatbelt, but that's just me.' Asuka nods, climbing in and getting the belt right on the first try, which is better than I did.

With a final mental check I pull out of the driveway, fairly sure I've not forgotten anything this time.

*

A few moments later we are on the highway. After a quick check of traffic I risk a glance at Asuka, and note that she's finally zipped up her jacket. Rei's arms about my waist feel, safe. I let just a little bit more of my attetion wander to her, keeping the rest on the Beemu-chan,since this is the longest trip I've taken her on.

Rei picks up on my mood, so not much is said during the ride, although I notice Asuka doing a great deal of looking around.

My Beemu-chan meets my expectations of Japanese-modified Russian-made German engineering, and we arrive in Tokyo-3 without incident and a half-tank of fuel, which indicates to me that I've got her pretty well in tune.

We stop outside Misato-san's building, and I shut her down, run-switch, then ignition. 'Asuka,'

She interupts me, 'Erhart. If you're gonna be Miyuki and she's Lantis-sama, I'm Erhart.'

I nod acknowledgement, 'Erhart, if you want you can come along on the search for a NERV parking permit, but it probably won't be that much fun.' I stretch out a little, shifting joints and unkinking muscles. Rei lets go of me and I can feel her stretch out her fingers. Asuka looks at her fingers, then undoes her belt.

'I'll tell Misato where you two are.'

'Good.' Rei answers, and I restart the Beemu-chan, on the first kick this time.

Rei wraps her hands about my waist again as I pull back onto the street, pulling down my visor after about a block.

Finding the correct people takes longer than obtaining the permit, as expected, the entire process taking just a little over four and a half hours. I don't mind too much, for it gives me a chance to just be with Lantis-chan, and reaquaint myself with city driving. I only have to bail myself out with a touch to the Force once, when I didn't pay adequite attention to a speeding car. It slows a little, the Beemu-chan jumps forward with preternatural ease, and none the wiser. Applying the sticker is a matter of moments, carefully placing it under the ones for LANL, KGD, and the Imperial Household. Rei is a bit taken aback by the array.

'How many owners did this bike have before you?' She sweeps her hand over the Imperial Household parking sticker, not touching it.

'One. She bought the bike while she was a college student in the US, worked on some supercomputer project at Los Alamos in late 1999, then moved to Japan after Second Impact. She's currently a proffesor at KansaiGaiDai, and is involved in some hush hush project with the Imperial Household. She sold Beemu-chan to me 'cause she's apparently obtained an Imperial exemption from the speed limit, and has a new insane monster of a sportbike to take advantage of it with. Beemu-chan wasn't getting ridden as much as she'd like, so she told Ranma about it, who told me.' I stroke the clean line of her fender, the swoop of her rear suspension, but manage to keep myself from rubbing my face against her as I'd done when I finally paid for her. Her previous owner had smiled and said she'd done the same when she first got the bike, almost seventeen years earlier.

'Is this monster British Racing Green?' I nod, 'and she wears some sort of rigid armour?' I nod again. 'I saw her blow through town about two weeks ago. She must have been doing almost four hundred down the street; I had trouble believing anything human could cope with that kind of . . .' she trails off, at a loss for words.

'Insanity? I got a chance to try on her helmet for a moment, she's got a HUD with traffic conditions twenty minutes out on it. Apparently it is Genom made, and about ten years old, she got it surplus.' I smile at the memory, wondering again if the bike and suit were consiously copied from BubbleGum Crisis, since the suit in particular is way too close a match. The right hand was modified from that version, probably due to her being a Dark Kingdom citizen, and thus not needing robotic augmentation, but the rest is too close to be coincidence.

'Impressive.' Rei gets to her feet again, motions towards Beemu-chan.

Quickly I check through, then kick her over. One kick, again. I check my helmet straps, then Rei is on behind me, her arms about my waist.

'We're going home, I assume.'

'Un. Do you want me to take you to your apartment, Lantis-chan?' She clutches me tighter.

'I would prefer to go to yours. I could gather my cruft, however.'

'Hai.' The trip to Rei's apartment is short.

Entering I'm struck by both how similar and how different her house is this time, still so bare as to appear sterile, but clean this time, neatly arranged. She moves quickly, gathering a box from somewhere and quickly sorting stuff into it. Her eyes sweep the room once, then she speaks, 'Ready.'

'That's it?' I point at the box with my chin.

'All of my backup data is stored elsewhere, only the incidentals are stored here, Miyuki-chan. This is all I will need before we will have a chance to gather the rest.' She sweeps from the room, pauses outside the door. 'Close the door on your way out.'

'Shouldn't I lock it?'

'Around here locking the door indicates there's something worth having inside. Don't bother.' I pull the door shut and follow her down to the parking area. Setting the helmets down I help her stuff the box into the sidecar, which isn't as easy as it might seem. I hand her her helmet and run my preride check again, finishing by kicking Beemu-chan over. Again, one kick. She climbs on behind and tells me, 'Go a little faster if you wish; I won't mind.' Although phrased as a comment, it has more the feel of a request, so I oblige.

I pull into the space next to Misato's car with a final gunning of the engine and sliding of the rear tire, the sidecar in the air, the front brake keeping the front wheel in place as I spin the bike the final ninety degrees in a move that is not good for the tires, but is very flashy.

'Very nice.' Misato says, grinning, as we climb off. I finish the post-ride, check the petcock again, and join her and Lantis-chan in the attempt to pull Lantis-chan's box from the sidecar. I should have expected that reaction, having seen her park in a hurry. I don't think I'm cool enough to pull a 180 into a parking space without cheating, however, especially in a cage.

Upstairs I pull Misako out of my pocket, wake her up again, and log onto my stereo, calling up Jethro Tull's 'Too Old to Rock and Roll, Too Young To Die' before cranking the volume up. The speakers are quite capable of shaking small items off shelves, so I am glad I do not possess any. I lean back against the wall, singing along with the condensed story of a bike wreck, as Asuka, Rei, and Misato stare at me, flabergasted.

'How long?'

'How long what?'

'How long have you been hiding this?'

'What? The archive server?' Misato shake her head, so I continue before she can clarify, 'The motorcycle fascination?' Again a shake of the head, 'The propensity for playing Tull at high volume?'

She just clarifies this time, 'The relationship with both Rei and Asuka.'

'Oh.' I'm a teensy bit disappointed, but answer, 'I had nothing to hide with Asuka, and I hadn't realized that I had anything to hide with Rei until yesterday. She's been my Lantis-chan for about a year, though.' Rei smiles her normal small smile, and Asuka presses herself closer to her. Misato looks at them oddly.

'Just what is going on here?' Misato sounds honestly confused.

'Anou,' Rei starts, 'About two and a half years ago I got into the 'net, and discovered a place where I was _me_ rather than Rei the vampire girl. It was nice, and I chose a name that I felt represented me better than the one I was gifted with by NERV. A few months later I met Ichijo Miyuki-chan in the anime newsgroups. She got me interested in Archive, got me to come farther out of my shell, and after a while I realized we were flirting. A couple months after that I met Erhart, and started flirting with him, too.

'We continued, getting more and more serious as time went by; both Erhart and Miyuki-chan were dropping hints about possibly arranging some face-time, but nothing firm. Two weeks later I was involved in that activation accident with ZeroGouKi.' Asuka looks shocked; I guess she hadn't made the connection.

Misato, however, looks confuzzled, 'Um, which of you is Miyuki?'

'Me.' I stick two fingers into the air for emphasis.

'And who is Erhart?'

'Erhart Reindas, douzo youroshiku,' Asuka bows deeply, flourishing her hand, a move that probably would have looked better with a large plumed hat.

Misato shakes her head and looks away. I double-take when I realize she's blushing.

*

'Shouldn't Rei be going home?' Misato pokes her nose into my room.

'I am.' Lantis-chan doesn't look up from her place on my futon, scrawling another answer in her untidy hand.

'When?'

'I think, Misato-san, that she meant she is home.' Erhart's amusement shows easily on her face.

'Oh.' Misato blinks, taking in Erhart's state of dress, 'Are you moving into Shinji's room too?'

'Yeah, why?'

Misato just walks off, muttering, 'The commander's gonna kill me.'

*

I wake to the almost familiar sensation of Lantis-chan curled posessively across my chest, and the unfamiliar one of Erhart sprawled on my right side. Erhart has her head on my shoulder, , one hand somehow slid under my neck, her breath stirring Lantis-chan's hair and tickling me slightly. I'm a little surprised that my right arm isn't asleep, since it got under Erhart, my hand resting on her cotton nightshirt at the small of her back. Lantis-chan has one hand curled about me, the other draped lightly across Erhart's shoulders. I stroke Lantis-chan's back softly, hoping to wake her gently. My fingers brush Erhart's, and she stirs, waking Lantis-chan.

*

I face the teacher, hand over a copy of my note, and sit back down again, glad that I don't have to say anything about the 'incident' yet. No one seems to have noticed anything different, although I keep catching glances, both directed my way and at each other. Someone will notice soon, I'm sure.

*What does the note say?* Whoever's asking is hiding their identity again. It isn't much work and makes for real messes sometimes.

*Something that happened before the last Shito incident.* Someone else, probably Lantis-chan, types.

*What?*

*That is for Miyuki-chan to tell you about.* There is a sudden flurry of noise as Rei drops that little bomb.

'Hey, Shinji, what are you talking about? Who is Miyuki-chan?' I look up at Kensuke's questions.

'He wasn't typing.' Touji points out, 'Who was?' He asks me directly.

'A friend.' He scowls.

'Who is Miyuki?'

I smile back at him in my most annoying manner, 'Me.'

The room goes silent.

-Shiiiiin- [the sound of silence --S]

The teacher looks up from the note again. 'So this isn't a joke on Akagi-hakase's part?' I blink at him. I would never have even considered that as a possibility.

'No, it is not a joke.' Rei speaks up for me, and everyone turns to look at her. She looks at me and smiles a tiny smile, so I smile back. Everyone goes silent for a moment, half of them seeming to no longer breathe.

Asuka starts laughing.

*

'More tests. Always more tests.' Erhart mutters beside me, her bag flopped over one shoulder as she walks on Lantis-chan's other side.

'Do you know what the point of these tests is?'

'No. They tell me no more about things than they tell you.'

'Then how do you manage to put up with it?' Erhart's voice is curious, more than upset.

'I perceived that it would be bad for me to ask.'

'I thought you were their pet.' Erhart looks over at both of us.

'Pet is a good word for it, I think.'

'Oh.' Erhart wraps her free arm about Lantis-chan's shoulder at her bleak words.

'Miyuki-chan also.' I oblige, shifting my school bag to my other hand, then wrapping my arm over Erhart's and Lantis-chan's shoulder.

*

'How has the commander taken this?' Akagi-hakase asks as I step out of the changing room.

'I don't know. I haven't told him, has anyone else?'

'I don't know.'

*

'We will be doing a full activation test today. The Eva will be launched into the geofront, where they will engage several practice targets. Understood?'

'Understood.' Lantis-chan.

'Yes.' Me.

'Yep.' Erhart.

'Launch.' The acceleration doesn't last as long as normal, popping us out about 600 meters from the pyramid-shape of the headquarters building itself.

Remembering how long it took for them to get everything together last time I start a flowing water-technique kata. I'm halfway finished with it, the Eva's limbs too long, too thin, when someone finally notices.

'Shinji-kun, what are you doing?' Ibuki-san's voice, showing curiosity rather than censure.

'A water-form kata.' I finish the kata, my movements too harsh, jerky, not flowing like they should. I start on a simpler one, careful not to force it, just letting it flow.

Several minutes later I finish it, pleased to have done better. I cop a feel, noticing everyone running around like heads with their chickens off still, and start the first one again.

It is better this time, and they are finally almost ready for the exercise when I finish. I drop into a ready stance, face forward, warmed by both the faint amusement Lantis-chan is leaking, and the exasperation Erhart is broadcasting. Ibuki-san is too far away for me to feel, but I expect she is also amused.

'Targets will be launching in a moment. Ready yourselves.' Ibuki-san is indeed amused about something.

'You may attack the targets as soon as they clear the revetments.' Misato's instructions clarify things, and start me searching. The targets are well hidden, at least to conventional means, making me glad for my training. I shake my head, amazed at how centered I feel after only a couple days back in training.

I hold my peace until the targets launch. 'Rei, 2:30, Asuka, 5.' A moment of shock as they parse the directions. The first target I've chosen clears it's revetment, and I leap for it. It drops, six inch thick steel plating shredded like ricepaper, the full spin kick staving in its left side. I leap for the next target, and the axe kick literally rips it in two. I drop into a ready stance as Erhart finishes her target.

'This was good.' Lantis-chan's voice is soft, the amusement almost unnoticable. I smile at it.

'Um.' Misato's voice shows her confusion. 'We expected it to take longer to deal with the targets, so.'

'You have allocated funds for a longer excursion than this would be if we head in now. Right?' Erhart is definately amused.

'Um, right.'

'Then we'll stay out here and Ikari-sensei can try teaching us martial arts for the next hour or so. Does that sound,'

'Fine. It will provide excelent data.' Misato sure cut Erhart of fast. I grin to myself as I turn towards the other two.

*

My, it sure took them a long time to figure this out. We haven't been doing anything to hide it, so. Guess the lot of them are just clueless. I suppose it shouldn't be such a surprise; the reaction the first time I showed up at the girls locker room for PE . . . that was a sight.

Most of my class is staring at us, I don't know why, it isn't like, well, I guess it is. Lantis-chan did just kiss the both of us. On the lips. At lunchtime. In the middle of the yard. Erhart is blushing so bad. She's not moving away from Lantis-chan, just holding her hand and looking at the ground. It was kind of amusing the way Erhart stormed up to us, Lantis-chan having plopped herself in my lap and kissed me, thoughroughly, to the amazement of all the onlookers. Lantis-chan just looked up at her, took in the flaring emotions on Erhart's face, then reached out one hand and pulled her down by the waistband of her skirt, wrapped the other around the back of the taller girl's neck and pulled her down for a kiss.

Erhart looked like she was going to faint for a moment there. She probably never would have lived that down, and it is unlikely she would have forgiven us for that.

Glancing at her again I'm suddenly not so sure. I use my free hand to provide support as I shift over a little closer to her. Erhart takes the hint, shifting a little as well, then pulling Lantis-chan a little closer to herself. I lean over against her shoulder, one arm still around Lantis-chan, and drop my free hand about her waist. She tenses for a moment, then shifts to wrap her right arm about my shoulders. I keep my face lowered, but look around under my eyelashes. Everyone I can see is still staring at us, rather slack-jawed. I almost laugh.

*

'So, my student, you have taken up your training once more.'

'Bell-sensei!' I bounce, spin, throw myself into her arms. She catches me with no apparent effort, but I can feel her tweaking the Force for support.

'I take it you would wish me to train your friends, as well? For, as they say, "The Force is strong in them."'

'That would be good.' "An untrained sensative is a danger to herself and others," or so the quote goes. Keiichi-san waves from where he stands, looking up to talk to Misato-san. Erhart and Lantis-chan are watching with intrest.

'Lantis-chan, Erhart, this is Belldandy, my teacher in the art of Zanji, and her friend Morisato Keiichi, who's talking to Misato.' I let go of Bell-sensei, stepping back. I smile happily, sure that before long I she will have me pushed to my limits again, but for now I can just bask in the anticipation.

*

I moan softly, muscles aching. Bell-sensei pushed me hard today, and I can barely move. Only the knowledge that Kasumi survived this training keeps me from thinking it's impossible.

An answering groan prompts me to turn my head, the effort far more difficult than it should have been. Asuka looks rather like someone's been chewing on her, and I manage a small grin.

'Really hurts, doesn't it?'

Asuka manages a small nod, so I force myself up, slowly start to work over her abused muscles, and she relaxes quickly, nearly falling asleep.

I look for Lantis-chan, noticing the tell-tale signs of strain about her eyes, the stubborn pride that won't ask for anything, mixed with the powerful fear that nothing asked for will be given.

I murmor, 'sleep,' to Erhart, and she closes her eyes, burrowing into the covers. Lantis-chan arcs up into my touch, a faint contented moan shivering through my hands.

*

'Shinji-kun? What have you been up to recently? It's like you're a different person.' Kensuke's voice is concerned, so I smile at him. His eyes get very big of a sudden.

'It's not much. I just got kicked out of the rut I'd let myself fall into. I should be OK now.'

'So you weren't before?'

'Nope, not at all. A way of describing that is "severe clinical depression."'

'Really?' Kensuke looks down, 'I thought you were just, quiet.'

'That's what I wanted everyone to think,' I smile again, throw myself into a backflip onto the desk behind me, a move that, standing as close to the desk as I am, only a Dark Kingdom trained human could accomplish, 'But that accident helped me get it back together.' I smile as I recognize the figures coming in the door. I raise an eyebrow at them, getting a broad grin and a tiny smile in responce.

*

Lantis-chan moves with the careful attention of the remarkably tired, and I slip a hand under her elbow. She smiles slightly, dropping her head against my shoulder for a moment.

---  
Log:  
1998 April 27:started  
1999 May:picked up again.  
1999 June 3: log added  
1999 June 16:added more.  
1999 July 5:added more.  
1999 July 13:another two sections.  
2000 December 25:Editted slightly for continuity.  
2001/Nov/21:copy-edit.  
2003/Sep/13:chopped a scene for continuity porpoises.  
2003 October 3: Title block and acknowledgement.  
2009 August 2:mauled for posting to ff.n


	4. Episode Four

Acknowledgements:  
Well, first there is the Literal Translation Project, without whom this fic would be quite different, and take a lot longer to write.  
Next we have the FFML, who provide a much needed outlet for this, so that I can know that other people have at least read whatever it is before I send it to RAAC.  
Next, we have ADV, who pressed my Eva DVD box set.  
Next, we have Mangle, who pressed the Eva movies.  
Next, we have my fans (all four of you) who occasionally asked if I'd ever finish this . . . Thanks.

And, last, but definately not least, we have Gainax, and Anno-san, without whom I'd've never started this mess.

'Nuff of that.

Genom Research  
Presents

A St. Suika Fenderson Roberts  
FanFic

Shin Seiki  
Evangelion  
Chouchuanshan

Episode four.

Bah. More fun and games at NERV. I've become so sarcastic recently. I smile at the thought.

Erhart is ranting about the current hoop, rather than just jumping through. I hope it is a good sign. Admittedly it is a fairly easy one, the sukebe in charge want direct, unmediated connection data, but they have that for me already.

Well, me before the change, anyway.

'Yes, Yes, I understand. None of you people out there had better watch!' she says, then struts down the hall in the most rediculous attempt at a sexy walk I've ever seen.

I manage not to laugh. Barely.

Lantis brushes against my arm, 'Rather silly, isn't she, sometimes?'

'Yes.'

_SSEC_

Ritsuko asks, 'How are you feeling?'

'Something is different,' Rei.

'Yes, it is different than before,' me.

'Things feel wrong. Only the right arm is clear, the rest is dim,' Asuka.

'Rei, try to move the right arm,' Ritsuko.

'Yes.'

A little while later I look up, blinking, trying to figure out what's wrong, where the attack is coming from.

'NO!' Rei, screaming. A moment later, she shrieks, and a moment after that, we're all ejected, the plugs moving with that faint slickness of a boat on water. Rei is whimpering, softly.

'Lantis-chan, are you OK?' I ask softly.

'Yes,' she says firmly. Then she whimpers again.

'I don't believe you,' Asuka says, and the sound of the LCL being pumped back into storage fills her comm link for a moment, before she cuts the mike.

I trigger the pumps as well, and I feel more than hear Rei do the same. The first thing I see when I get the hatch open is Asuka's face.

'Drat, wrong one,' she smiles, then pulls me out into the rather severely chill water.

I shiver, then start swimming towards Rei. She's just about to plunge into the water herself when I get there.

'Stay in there, the water's cold as a witch's tit.'

'When,' she asks, 'have you been feeling witches' tits?' she smiles faintly, and helps me into her plug, 'and should I feel jealous?'

'It's just a phrase. I think it's translated from English or something,' I say, reaching to help pull Asuka's shivering form into the plug.

Rei seals the hatch, and drapes herself across our bodies, 'glad you are here.'

_SSEC_

Eventually they fish us out, and no one comments on the fact that two of the plugs are empty.

_SSEC_

Today they are running cross-compatability tests. Lantis-chan first, with Shougouki. I notice that I'm worrying again, and force myself to stop. She'll be OK. They ask her how Shougouki feels, and she says it smells like me. I somehow manage not to blush.

After an interminable wait, they stuff me into Zerogouki, and the first bit isn't bad. After the second stage, they ask me how it feels, and all I can think of is the truth, 'It smells like Ayanami.' Asuka sputters something funny, but I can't remember what it was. Lantis calms her, somehow.

At that point they go to third stage, and for a moment it is nice, as somehow there's nothing in the world but Lantis-chan. Then I realize it isn't her, and start fighting back. It doesn't work, so I force myself to calm, force the sync, but don't let Zerogouki too far into my head. At that point I realize we've torn free of the restraints, and our fist is in the dent we put into the observation window, 'That was exciting,' I joke weakly.

_SSEC_

I hate this ceiling. After a little while the head-shrinkers come in, and I tell them that I don't remember what happened. They belive me easily, for I don't know what happened, even though I do remember it. They don't want to listen as I try to explain that there is an older copy of Lantis in Zerogouki, a remarkably single-minded copy at that. So many stupid A.I. schemes have been invented, but persona-transfer is one of the worst. All of the bad parts of having a human, and few of the good.

They let me go eventually.

_SSEC_

'Are you OK?'

'Yeah, mostly,' I smile at Erhart. 'Were you worried?'

'Not particularly. Lantis was rather scared, though.'

'I'm sure you said you'd be there for her.'

'Yeah, and that I was sure you'd pull through, somehow.'

'Thanks.'

'You're welcome,' and she gives me a fierce hug, her face slightly damp.

_SSEC_

Lantis grabs me firmly, stopping my kata, her face pressed between my shoulder blades, 'Scared me. Really scared me.'

'I'm sorry,' the words escape before I can stop them.

'Don't be sorry. Just don't do it again,' the only sign that she's crying is that my shirt is getting damp.

_SSEC_

'What were you up to this afternoon?' Asuka asks the question I'd like answered.

'Double-black stuff,' she frowns.

I blink in shock, then move in close, trying to be supportive without prying.

She wraps me in a fierce hug, her face pressed to my belly, 'Erhart as well,' she commands, her words only slightly garbled.

_SSEC_

They've combined classes on us, since there are only enough students in all of Tokyo-3 for two classes each all through middle-school, maybe four classes of grade-schoolers, and most of two classes of high-schoolers.

So the room is full again, but not with the same people it had the day I first came here.

They've also yet to hassle me about continuing to wear a boy's uniform. I'm overly amused by that, I'm sure.

I plop into my seat, and Kensuke and Touji drift over.

'What happened yesterday? Ayanami and Sohryou came in all quiet and gloomy yesterday afternoon, and everyone was too scared to ask them what happened to you.'

'Very tactful,' Kensuke complains, 'Well?'

'Lantis, what is the classification on yesterday's experiment?'

'Blue,' she smiles.

I can't help but smile back, 'OK,' I turn back to the two boys, 'We were running cross-compatability tests on the Eva. I pretty much proved that I can't safely pilot Zerogouki.'

'Why were they testing? Aren't they controlled the same?'

'Somewhat. However, each has it's own A.I., and I think all of them are a little crazy.'

'Oh. So Rei is more able to fight Zerogouki's A.I., and make it do what she wants?'

'No, I think it's just that she expects it, and I wasn't. It went out of controll on her on her first activation, too. The autoeject worked for her, though, and she was hurt pretty bad. I got to stay in the Eva until it ran out of power, so all that happened to me is I woke up in the infirmary again.' I turn to Lantis, 'I hope all of that was blue material.'

'I'd have stopped you if it wasn't,' she smiles, but I can tell she isn't joking.

Touji and Kensuke laugh weakly.

_SSEC_

My turn to clean the class. Joy. I pause to watch Lantis, who's wringing a rag like someone's neck.

'Men!' Touji calls, whomping me with a mop-handle.

'Ah!' I grumble.

'Responcibility!'

'Gomen!'

'You have a responcibility to clean this room!'

Blesed Eris, mother of us all, I grumble to myself, getting back to work with only a few moments spent on Lantis-watching.

_SSEC_

'Lantis-chan, I'm going to be visiting my mother's memorial with my father tomorrow. What do you think I should talk to him about?'

'Why are you asking me?' she turns, and smiles, just a tiny bit.

'I saw you seem to enjoy talking to him, that time. What kind of person is my father anyway?'

'Haven't the faintest,' her smile is comforting, not teasing.

'Ah.'

'You were watching me today,' the smile twitches a little bigger for an instant.

'Yes,' I smile at her, 'when you were wringing that washcloth, I thought it looked like you were imagining it was someone you didn't like.'

'I might have been,' and her smile, again, twitches just a little bit bigger, for just a moment.

_SSEC_

'The nerve of some people!' Asuka stomps though the door.

'What?'

'Hikari got rooked into trying to get a friend of her older sister a date with me. Me! I'm taken, captive, off the market!'

'Thank you,' Lantis says, shifting from where she had been working on something, her legs draped across mine.

'Y, you're welcome,' Asuka's anger deflates, and she sags to her knees next to us. I twist, rolling over, and she crushes both of us into a hug.

_SSEC_

'You're really stressing over this, aren't you,' Asuka's voice is firm, declarative.

'I'd be stressing over this even if I hadn't become a girl, and didn't know that no one has told him.'

'Hey, he might like that.'

Icky thoughts, 'Please don't say things like that.'

'Probably he won't even notice, or if he does, he'll pretend it was planned.'

I laugh, 'Perhaps.'

_SSEC_

'Three years, now, since I was last alone with you,' he says.

'Since the last time, I've not come here. It doesn't seem like this place is connected to her at all. I can't remember her face.'

'People survive by letting things go, but there are some things we must not forget. Yui tought me those. To remind myself, I come here.'

'Don't you have a photo or anything?'

'Nothing is left. This grave is only a memorial. There is nothing left.'

'The teacher says you've tossed everything away.'

'Everything is in my heart. That is enough for now.'

_SSEC_

'It is time. I'm going.'

The transport VTOL drops to the earth, blowing dust everywhere.

'Father!' he turns, 'It was good to talk to you.'

'Was it?' and he turns, and walks to the VTOL. Rei is inside.

I wonder about that.

_SSEC_

I play something verging on dreary, to match my mood. It isn't that I hate him, just that I cannot comprehend him. He refuses to let me close enough to care, refuses to let the interesting mix of love and fear for me that I can feel whenever he is near show. When he told me, all that time ago, to go home, I wasn't skilled enough to know what he felt, and now it eats at me, that not knowing.

After a while I tire of the steady, slow notes, and stop for a little bit, digging through the sheet music for something faster.

I'm about three pages into the new piece when the door opens, 'Yeah?'

'Not bad!' Asuka drops to the floor in front of me, 'You play?'

I glance up to see her crooked grin, as she realizes how redundant that sounds, 'Since I was five. I'm not particularly talented.'

'Effort and will, then?'

'Something like that. I started because a teacher suggested it. I've just never stopped.'

'Why?'

'No one cares that I do. So I've become almost good,' I flub a note, but she doesn't seem to notice.

_SSEC_

'Where's Lantis-chan?' Asuka asks me, after a while.

'I last saw her in a transport VTOL with my father. Probably classified stuff.'

'Or maybe she'll tell us about it when she gets back.'

'Maybe.'

_SSEC_

'Shin-chan? It's me, I'm too too drunk to drive. Could you come rescue me before I end up at the third time party with Kaji?'

'Yeah, Where are you now?'

She tells me, some bar, near the hotel that the wedding was held in.

'OK, I'll be there shortly.'

'Kewl.'

'Try not to pass out before I get there, OK?'

'Sure thing!'

'Bye.'

'Bai Bai!' *click*

'Erhart, would you like to come rescue Misato before she embarasses herself? More?'

'Asuka. And yeah, I'll come along.'

'OK, Asuka.'

_SSEC_

I ponder her change of name-preference as I get my leathers on, and we get her settled in the sidecar.

The air is warm, tonight, and Asuka laughs merrily as we speed, just a little, down the street. The modifications she came with, motor, transmission, intake and exhaust let my cute little Ural maintain, according to her speedo, anyway, 140 KPH.

I pull to a gentle stop in front of the bar, and Asuka unbuckles, pulls her helmet off, and heads inside, re-appearing after a few minutes with Misato, who is about nine sheets to the wind.

I flip the run-switch off, and help get Misato into the sidecar.

Asuka climbs on behind me, her arms tightly wrapped about my waist, and rests her helmeted head against my back.

We somehow manage to get Misato home before she throws up.

_SSEC_

'I'm such a wuss,' Misato whines.

I listen, torn between tuning her out and letting her wallow, or trying, again, to comfort her. Asuka's given up already, twice.

'No, you're just drunk. Have some more water, and it will be better in the morning,' I tell her, softly, and hand her another glass.

She drinks it, then, with a quizical noise, collapses face-first into the table. Just when I start to worry, I realize she's asleep, and heft her up.

'Asuka-chan, could you turn Misato's bed back?'

'Hai, hai,' she grumbles.

We strip her down a little, then pull the covers over her, and let her sleep.

_SSEC_

Misato's worried about something. Can't tell what, but it's pretty obvious, and something to do with NERV.

_SSEC_

'The stock is changed,' Lantis smiles at me.

'Yes, Ritsuko-san gave us some dried bonito as omiage.'

Lantis makes a quizical face.

'Eee! Too hot!'

'Eat more slowly,' Lantis tells her, gently chiding.

'Yes, Mistis,' Asuka answers.

'Mistis?'

'Pervy novels from the 50's,' she tells me.

'3150s or 1950s?'

'3150s,' she turns to Misato, 'Why does NERV use the Gregorian calendar still?'

'Because. That's what they told me, anyway.'

'Anyway, nasty slave-owning people take over the world. Mistis is a rather intimate form of address from serf to owner.'

'Oh.'

'I have copies if you can read English,' she pauses, 'It might be kinda fun to read them to you if you don't. Long, though.'

'I can.'

'I cannot. Read them to me, Asuka. Shinji can help,' the half-grin on her face belies her imperative tone and phrasing.

'Yes, Mistis,' Asuka seems to like this game.

_SSEC_

Testing is boring.

_SSEC_

'Um, Lantis, I'm sorry, I didn't think to ask you before adding the bonito-flakes.'

'It was caught in accordance with the Rules,' I can hear the capitalization, and nod, 'so it is acceptable. Much more wouldn't be, you do know, right?'

'Yeah, I'm sorry,' I must look miserable, for she gives me a firm hug.

_SSEC_

I'm most of the way to Seishou Kabuse station, which is, in turn, near my favored used book shops, when the call comes. I sedately turn the Ural around and head back.

_SSEC_

'Can you hear me?' as if she wouldn't be told by the plethora of sensors if we couldn't, 'Target data is just what I've sent. Nothing further yet. Approach carefully, watch its reactions, and try to lead it out of the urban areas if it will follow.'

'You got the high sync in today's test, Miyuki, so you take point!' Asuka tells us.

'OK, I guess,' I reply, 'Which way?'

'Two o'clock high. Zerogouki is backup.'

'Nigouki as well.'

'Lantis, Asuka! In position?'

'Just a moment. Gotta change cables.'

'I'll be there.'

'It's moving!' I yell, and pull the prog knife. Two steps, and I throw it at the sphere.

It completes a turn and a half, striking the sphere's surface butt first. The sphere goes completely black, then vanishes.

A lovely sinking feeling spreads through my belly, then I realize I am sinking, eva and all.

'Oh dear. I'm sinking into the shadow,' I say, with a little bit of concern tainting my voice.

'Miyuki!' Lantis-chan yells, quite surprisingly loud.

'Shinji,' Asuka's quieter than I expected, but she is also charging over.

Lantis-chan is pulling me backwards by the umbilical, just about as fast as I am sinking. I don't think it will be enough. I can't get any traction on this shadow I'm in. Suddenly I moving back faster, but I still don't have any traction. The blackness is right under Shougouki's chest, then I stop moving backwards.

'Fuck,' I call, sinking rather quickly.

'Eject the plug!' Misato yells.

'Override!' I yell back, mashing buttons rather franticly. I don't want to be caught in this nasty black stuff without the rest of the eva, and we don't have any air support right now.

'Asuka! Rei! Rescue Shougouki! Hurry!'

'Hai!' Lantis-chan. Zerogouki is suddenly right there, sinking into the shadow with me, pulling Shougouki up by the upper arm as Asuka pulls hard on the umbilical.

'Sheisse!' Asuka cusses, 'The shadow's growing. Fast! Too fast!'

'ASUKA! REI! Withdraw! Now!' Misato yells, panicking.

'Can't,' Lantis-chan replies, nearly calmly.

'They're still in there!' Asuka's a little, no, a lot more strident.

'Get out of there!' Misato reiterates.

'No!'

'Go,' Lantis-chan tells her.

'Don't get caught too,' I say into the radio, 'Go.'

The pull on us stops.

'She's safe,' Lantis-chan says, then, with frightening suddenness, we both sink into the shadow.

'Sixteen hours,' she says, Zerogouki wrapped around Shougouki, 'if we don't move.'

'So your umbilical is cut as well?'

'Just a little bit ago.'

'Can we keep talking to each other?' I should know, but I haven't had to worry about the energy costs of the comm system, so I haven't.

'Audio only.'

'Much better than nothing.'

'Sing me a song.'

'I don't sing well.'

'I don't care. Sing something.'

'Heh. What sort of something.'

'A song you like, of course.'

'OK,' I pause a moment to think, then start, 'With a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound, she pulls the spitting high tension wires down.'

After the last chourus of "Go go godzilla!" she asks for a translation, then explanation. I'm shocked that she's never seen any of the Gojira movies, not even the new ones, which have such wonderful effects, particularly when compared with the mid-1970's movies.

_SSEC_

'Still us, in a lot of nothing,' I tell her, shutting external sensors down again.

'Lovely,' she says, in that tone that says it is nothing of the sort. I wonder if anyone else could tell.

'Four hours of life support left.'

'Almost.'

I glance at the gauge, and let myself worry.

_SSEC_

'Smells like blood. Old, decomposing blood,' Lantis-chan says.

I glance at the small display, another hour at minimal life support, then another two or three before the LCL gets too bad to breathe. Maybe fifteen seconds of full activation. Maybe.

Lantis-chan caughs, a horrible hacking wheeze.

I key in the reactivation sequence, hold my hand over the final key, and reach for syncronization.

Perception stretches, folds, Zerogouki suddenly wrapped around me, long legs around my waist, long arms about my neck, a frightening lack of power in that body, a frightening weakness in the pilot. My fingers twitch as I stroke the reactivation key, and call up the AT field, intent on ripping our way out of here, since it is obvious that NERV will not or cannot do so.

I reach, and grab for the edge of this space, knowing it will be there, ripping it open. It bleeds, bright red like arterial blood, but I keep ripping, pulling the edge I have found open. With a sudden hemorage we're out, the angel collapsing into a bloody heap behind us.

'Power, get Zerogouki power,' I yell into the radio, watching the counter tick down way too fast.

'Lantis-chan!' Asuka calls, then Nigouki comes barrelling around the corner, an umbilical cable in hand, 'Miyuki-chan, is she . . . '

'She's still alive,' I say when she trails off, 'Unconscious, I think.'

'Not quite,' Lantis-chan says, the umbilical having had a moment to start recharging the batteries.

'Youkatta!' Asuka replies, then trots off to fetch another umbilical.

_SSEC_

All three of us in a hospital room, Lantis-chan in the bed, Asuka and I to either side.

'Don't do that again,' Asuka is telling us.

'We will endevour not to,' Lantis-chan says, a lovely smile coloring her pale eyes.

'I mean it. I'm gonna be pissed if I lose either or both of you.'

'So will we,' Lantis-chan says, then, abruptly, 'In.'

'Here?' Asuka asks, 'Is it OK?'

'I think so.'

We crawl into her hospital bed, and she cuddles us close.

_SSEC_

'No, I detected no attempt at contact by any outside force. I waited because I didn't know what to do, until Zerogouki's power ran out, at which point I acted.'

'Why did you act then, when you hadn't before?' the man at the end of the table asks.

'Before there was still a chance that outside help might rescue us.'

'You might still have been rescued,' a different voice.

'Or I might not have been. It was act, or Ayanami died.'

'If you hadn't been successful, you would have drained your batteries,' Green-light starts.

'And been in as bad a situation as Ayanami, very shortly thereafter. Yes, I know.'

The men around the table look at each other, then one of them speaks, 'No further questions at this time.'

_SSEC_

Lantis-chan is shaking when she comes out, 'You wouldn't have told me, would you?'

'Told you what?'

'That you had another hour's worth of life support.'

'It's logged. I didn't think I needed to.'

She grabs me into a hug, 'I don't like this.'

'Neither do I. Asuka's waiting.'

'Then we should go to her,' she tells me, pulling free and walking towards the exit.

I follow, as she intended.

_SSEC_

Lantis-chan wraps herself around me the moment I come in the door, holding tight, 'I don't like this anymore. It didn't used to bother me, but now . . . ' she trails off, barely audible over the music she has playing, loud enough that the neighbors, had we any near, would complain, her face up against my chest.

'Can you talk about it?'

'No, it's all black stuff. Some of it is double-black. Some of it is worse because I am not human, as you've doubtless noticed.'

'Part youkai? Or space alien?'

'Not that,' and she holds my hand over her belly.

I let my senses focus, note the unexpected sphere, then the familiar flavor of it.

'Blessed Eris mother of us all,' I indulge in soft-voiced profanity.

She pulls my head down, brings her lips close to my ear, says softly, 'This isn't my only body. My other ones aren't me, yet.'

'What do you mean?'

'This,' she whispers, 'Is my second body, I think. I've died once, strangled, but I remember it, and waking up a little later. I think a whole lot of us were incepted at once, but I think they've only one core with 'me' in it. The rest of them sure don't seem to be all the way there, as befits a being who lives in a tank of LCL.'

'Ara,' and I hug her tightly, not letting go when Asuka steps into the room, and hugs us both.

'Tell her, as soon as it seems prudent,' Lantis-chan tells me.

'I will.'

'Tell me what?' Asuka demands.

'Nasty black-classified stuff about Lantis-chan.'

'Fuck.'

'Nothing so fun as that,' Lantis-chan says, utterly straight-faced.

Asuka gapes for a moment, then breaks into giggles.

_SSEC_

All of the teachers send Lantis-chan's assignments and make-up work home with me, again. Yesterday's is still in a pile, untouched.

_SSEC_

'So, what is this nasty black classified stuff?' Asuka asks, as we walk towards school, Rei again on something official, taking a different path than normal so as to attempt to avoid NERV surveillance.

'Lantis-chan isn't human.'

'I knew that. Ctholon, right?'

'Some, and youkai, and human, and Angel, with a whole lot of careful work to tie it all together.'

'Angel?' Asuka grabs me, spins me around, a hand on each of my shoulders, 'So they've been around that long?'

'So it would seem. I don't know all of it, but she's died already once, and they have a lot of bodies for her. I think they feel she's somewhat expendable as a result.'

'It would explain their reaction to her injuries during her activation tests,' she wraps me in a tight hug.

'What do we do?'

'Keep her safe,' she says, fiercely.

'Right!'

_SSEC_

'Misato-san,' I greet her.

'What?'

'Ritsuko-san expects you at tomorrow's business meeting.'

'OK, thanks,' she says, 'Ja mata.'

'Hmm,' Kaji-san says, 'How about a cup of tea with me?' he asks me.

'Um, involved here.'

_SSEC_

'I thought you were more serious,' I tell him, sitting outside on a bench, a comforting couple feet between us, the light a disconcerting orange.

'What a thing to say to such a serious person as I.'

'Sorry,' I don't giggle. Quite.

'Me too. Didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Come, I've got something cool to show you.'

_SSEC_

'Watermelon?'

'Cute, isn't it. Sort of a hobby. Don't tell everyone, OK? Growing something, helping it grow, is a really nice feeling. We learn many things from doing it.'

'Suits you, rather,' I tell him.

He smiles, and I go back to looking at the watermelons.

His phone rings, 'Moshi mosh,' he says, then, 'It's Katsuragi, the sychro test is starting soon.

_SSEC_

In we go, back in the test plugs. Such fun.

_SSEC_

Touji gets called out of class. If I believed I had even the faintest touch of precog this sinking feeling would really worry me.

_SSEC_

'How was New Yokosuka?'

'It was fun. Do you know anything about Evangelion Unit Three?'

'Eva Unit Three?' I ask him.

'Yeah, the one they were building in the US. It's finished, isn't it.'

'I don't know.'

'I know it's classified, but please, tell me something.'

'I really don't know. I've Dark Kingdom ties, so they may think I'm a security risk.'

'Have you heard the rumor that the activation test will be at the second test facility in Matsushiro?'

'Nothing.'

'The pilot hasn't been chosen yet, have they?'

'Wakarahen,' I let myself drop into Oosaka-ben for a moment.

'I could be a pilot. Misato could choose me. Ask her for me? I really want to pilot an Eva.'

'I really have no clue.'

'How about the story of Unit Four getting lost?'

'What?'

'You really don't know?' pause, 'It disappeared along with the entire second branch. My dad's section was in a panic.'

'Really?'

'Seems like.'

'Misato hasn't told me anything.'

'Maybe the pilots really don't need to know.'

'I don't like that answer,' I tell Kensuke.

'Touji's late.'

_SSEC_

'This is bad,' Asuka says, dropping on top of me with a *thump*.

'What?' I ask her, turning from my homework.

'Touji's Sangouki's pilot.'

'Oh,' I blink up at her, 'So you have a bad feeling about this, too.'

'Yes,' and she buries her face against my neck.

'Suck,' I tell her, and hold her close.

'Where's Lantis-chan?' she asks, her voice a little muffled by my neck.

'She said she'd be back late, remember?' she nods, 'She should be here soon.'

'Good,' she says, and slowly goes limp on top of me.

I turn my head to look at my homework, sigh, and close my eyes.

_SSEC_

'Do you know?' Lantis asks, prodding us both awake.

'About?' Asuka mumbles.

'Touji.'

'Yes,' I tell her.

'Good, then I don't have to break security and tell you.'

I smile up at her.

'Get out of those,' and she brushes Asuka's skirt with bare toes, unbuttoning her own uniform.

I hasten to comply.

-  
log:  
2000 December 25: started, log added.  
2001 November 21: actually wrote some ^_^  
2001 November 27: wrote more  
2001 November 30: bit more  
2002 July 14: finally continued through episode 16 ^_^  
2002 July 15: Beginning of ep 17.  
2002 July 17: Middle of ep 17, ed on begining.  
2002 November 11: Finished ep 17, at long last.  
2003 September 12: Tiny edits  
2003 October 3: Title block and acknowledgement.  
2004 November 5: Tiny edit  
2010 July 10: tiny edits, mauled for posting to ff.n


	5. Episode Five

Acknowledgements:  
Well, first there is the Literal Translation Project, without whom this fic would be quite different, and take a lot longer to write.  
Next we have the FFML, who provide a much needed outlet for this, so that I can know that other people have at least read whatever it is before I send it to RAAC.  
Next, we have ADV, who pressed my Eva DVD box set.  
Next, we have Mangle, who pressed the Eva movies.  
Next, we have my fans (all four of you) who occasionally asked if I'd ever finish this . . . Thanks.

And, last, but definately not least, we have Gainax, and Anno-san, without whom I'd've never started this mess.

'Nuff of that.

Genom Research  
Presents

A St. Suika Fenderson Roberts  
FanFic

Shin Seiki  
Evangelion  
Chouchuanshan

Episode Five.

'Nice outfit,' Asuka lears at Misato.

I blush.

Misato looks at me, then blushes, too.

'Kaji will be here to listen—' Misato cuts herself off, blushes even deeper, then continues, 'Watch—' flustered pause, 'Look after you this evening, and while I'm out of town.'

'Yes, Ma'am,' Lantis-chan tells her.

'At the activation test?' I ask.

'Yes. Sangouki will undergo startup tests at Matsushiro. Yongouki is gone, lost with the second branch during testing of the S-2 engine.'

I smile, 'I thought you weren't going to tell me.'

'I just hadn't found a good spot. I'll be gone for about four days.'

The doorbell rings. I center, then feel. Kensuke.

I open the door, 'Major Katsuragi, I'd like to volunteer myself as pilot for Evangelion Sangouki.'

'Too late,' Misato tells him, 'The pilot has already been chosen.'

SSEC

The three of us arrive at school at the same time, Lantis-chan in the middle, Asuka and I slightly back to either side.

The whispers are soft, but rather distracting. We're compared to the Furies, fairies, and Ranma-sensei's family. Most of them are appreciative this time. A smile forms on my face, and I let it stay there.

SSEC

'Lunchtime!,' pause, while Kensuke looks around, 'Where's Touji?'

'Gone. You should be able to guess where.'

'The activation test,' Kensuke pouts.

SSEC

'Hey, I'm going to walk home with Hikari-chan,' Asuka tells us, with a final caress of Lantis-chan's cheek.

'Have fun,' I tell her.

'I will.'

'Not too much fun,' Lantis-chan tells her.

A pause, then Hikari blushes a bright red.

'Of course not,' Asuka says.

SSEC

Asuka's watching something horrible on TV.

I've got my headphones on, hooked to Misako, playing music from my archive server, over my little wireless net.

Lantis-chan is flopped over us, in a slightly uncomfortable manner. Uncomfortable for me, anyway, I don't think Lantis-chan minds it, or she'd wiggle more. I can hear pages turning as she reads.

'That was nice,' Kaji says, about his bath. He's toweling off, 'Everyone in a pile again? Is that how you always are?'

'Pretty much,' Asuka smiles at him, 'I'm a little worried about Suzuhara, but Akagi-hakase and Katsuragi should take care of him.'

'They should. No point worrying, anyway. I'm heading to bed, and I suggest you do too.'

'We'll go to bed in a little bit,' Lantis-chan tells him.

'OK,' and Kaji wanders into the room that used to be Asuka's.

Lantis-chan shifts, lying just across my back, then starts to nibble on my neck. With a little squirm, I pull my headphones off, 'Lantis-chan,' I manage, not too loudly.

'Not here,' Asuka says, then kisses Lantis-chan on the lips, pulling her head up to do so.

'You're right,' Lantis-chan says, then grabs Asuka by the hair. Without releasing her hold, she stands, then draws the other girl into our room. She beckons imperiously, and I follow.

SSEC

Touji isn't here at school today. Must have already left for the test. I hope — with a shake I stop that train of thought, and rap my knuckles against my temple.

We'll find out soon enough.

SSEC

Three phones ring at once. I answer mine, already worried about who it is.

Magi's synthesized voice confrims my fears, 'Ikari Shinji-kun, report to NERV headquarters for immediate deployment.'

Asuka shares a grim smile with me, and Lantis-chan actually looks worried. That's almost enough to make me panic.

SSEC

'Who are we fighting?'

'Pattern is Blue,' my father's voice says, 'the target is confirmed as the thirteenth Angel.'

'Suck,' Asuka deadpans.

'Is he still alive?'

'Unconfirmed,' Maya answers.

'Pilot recovery is a priority,' my father's voice says, 'but stopping the Angel is foremost.'

'Ryoukai,' Lantis-chan answers.

'Target spotted, aiming for the head,' Asuka says.

I reach, calming, centering, feeling everything go strange, then normal again.

'Oh no-' Asuka is cut off, mid-yell.

'Nigouki silent, pilot ejection confirmed,' Maya's calm voice says.

'Engaging,' Lantis-chan says, then screams.

I tune out the radio, draw my prog knife, wish, just for an instant, for a halberd, and charge towards where I can feel her, in pain, but safe, the Angel moving towards me.

Before I can get into range, its arms lengthen suddenly, wrapping around my throat. I cut one off mid-forearm, and the other at the elbow.

They start to grow back instantly, going boneless and trying to grapple me as I charge close.

A dangerously high kick breaks its neck, nearly tearing its head off, and I shove the prog knife into its core.

It goes limp, and I cut the entry plug free, then leave it for the recovery team, and go to Lantis-chan.

'Miyuki-chan,' she says, when I get commo established with Zerogouki. Her voice is shaky, hiding most of the pain I can feel flowing off her in waves.

'Are you OK?' I ask, kneeling next to Zerogouki, who's arm wasn't torn off, but blown, deliberately, to prevent the angel from spreading deeper.

'I feel like I just had my arm blown off, but other than that, I'm good,' She giggles, just a little, 'Asuka?'

'Asuka is fine. The recovery team has her right now, and they're coming to pick you up.'

'Good,' and with that, Lantis-chan passes out.

SSEC

'The bunker was destroyed, but casualties were light. No fatalities, and only a couple maimings,' Misato tells me cheerily, her head still bandaged, and the demerol still dripping fast into her IV.

'That's good,' I tell her, 'I'm really glad you're OK.'

'Yeah, you've got me trained.'

'Yes,' Lantis-chan, a tiny smile picking up the corners of her lips, answers, then gives her hand a squeeze, 'Come home soon.'

'I'll do my best,' Misato smiles back.

SSEC

We stop by Ritsuko's room. She's awake, but Maya's asleep, her head resting on Ritsuko's thigh. Ritsuko holds one finger to her lips, the other hand continuing to softly stroke Maya's hair.

Lantis-chan nods, and pulls us from the room. I give them a parting smile.

SSEC

Suzuhara is asleep, an oxygen mask hooked over his ears. I close my eyes and feel for his injuries, 'He'll be OK.'

'Mou,' Asuka whines, 'Why wasn't I Dark Kingdom trained?'

'Because we,' Lantis-chan says gently, 'being NERV, are in a state of hostility with the Dark Kingdom, and don't allow them official access to our assets.'

'Shinji-chan is an asset, too,' Asuka whines, leading us down the hall.

'Yes, but Saotome Ranma is a Japanese citizen, and my guardian,' I tell her, 'So I'm not actually Dark Kingdom trained.'

'You were trained by the person who trained the Dark Kingdom. Not much difference, there.'

'Legally, a lot of difference.'

SSEC

Boredom. Eva practice. Target practice. Tests to try and establish how I beat the last Angel so easily. Of course, we don't display even close to the same power during the test as we did against the Angel, but the reason for that is rather obvious.

'Of course not,' I say over the mike, 'I'm not nearly as keyed up, no one's been hurt, and I'm not pushing as hard.'

'What do you mean?'

'Fighting a tough opponent, Ranma-sensei or Usagi-sensei, I move faster and hit harder. I've put my hand through sixteen inches of concrete sparring with Usagi-sensei.'

'Sixteen inches? That's what, forty centimeters?'

'About that. Right now I'm not as focused, not as far into the _now_ as during a real fight.'

'So any data we take now isn't going to be of any help?' Maya asks.

'It won't represent actual combat, and most especially won't represent the others being in danger.'

'We'll continue anyway,' Ritsuko says, 'Since we'll at least have some baseline data this way.'

'OK.'

SSEC

'No,' I tell Asuka, 'Like this. Feel the heavy, flowing energy, feel it move within you, and then strike, gathering it to your fist as you do.'

She punches the bag with perfect form, but her ki is still all over the place.

'Let's try the steel bar again,' I tell her, and fold her fingers around the two-centimeter thick cylinders, each almost six centimeters long.

I step back. 'Feel how it makes your hand heavier. Punch the bag. Again. Again. Feel the flow of energy, how it's gotten stronger. Again.'

She's almost got it. Her ki's shifting, flowing with her punches, separating from the ambient.

'Again?' she asks.

'Again,' I tell her.

She strikes hard, one, two, three, the bag of sand taking the hits easily.

'Again.'

Harder, this time, her ki shifting to power the blows. One, two, three. The wallboard dimples a little, the bag sagging into it.

'Drop the bars. Again.'

She opens her hands, then clenches them back into proper fists, and strikes harder still, her ki slipping into her fist at the last instant, her whole body driving it forward. The wallboard collapses, and the bag falls off, leaving a hole about the size of a textbook in the wall.

'Wow.'

'Good job,' I tell her, 'We're now ready for the first stage of your training.'

'First stage!' she whines, 'We've been practicing for weeks! And I already know how to defend myself!'

'Against humans. Normal humans, at that. One can't pretend that that is enough,' I smile, 'But you've done well. Most people take another couple weeks to get this far. After this, we teach you how to heal yourself, and then the real training begins.'

'Uuaa,' she says, pulling a face, 'I'm tired. Carry me home,' and she sags dramaticly against me.

'If you really want me to. It'd be easier to ride, though.'

'Carry me to the bike, then,' she says.

'OK,' I tell her, and pick her up in a fireman's carry.

'This isn't what I meant,' she says.

'Oh?' I ask, bending my knees to pick up my punching bag. I stash it, and straighten up.

'Saddleback carry,' she says.

'OK,' I let her down, and kneel. She wraps her hands about my neck and her knees about my waist. I support her with my hands under her knees, and stand back up.

'Let's go,' she says, sounding sleepy, and nuzzles against my neck.

I have to wake her up to get her into the sidecar.

SSEC

'Kiss me,' Lantis-chan tells me.

I blink.

'Kiss me. Now.'

I look around at our class, and the teacher tapping his papers together as he gets ready to leave.

'Miyuki,' her voice is _very_ flat.

I lean over, place my hands flat on her desk, and brush my lips lightly over hers. Dropping back into my seat I can feel my cheeks heating.

'Properly,' a tiny hint of amusement, with, I glance over, a tiny smile to go with it.

Calm, center, hands flat on her desk, and lean in. Her lips, as always, are warm and soft. Her tongue flickers over my lips, and I open them.

Her hands ruffle my hair as she holds me in place, and her tongue dances with mine. I moan, low in my throat, and she pulls me even closer.

After a few minutes she breaks the kiss, and I collapse back into my seat. Someone claps. I drop my head onto my desk, and cover it with my arms.

Asuka laughs.

SSEC

'Suzuhara!' Hikari greets him, without any honorific. Her lips twitch, and she glances away.

'Incho,' Suzuhara almost smiles.

Suzuhara sits down, a little gingerly. His adventure with Sangouki had left him bruised, but he's back after only a few days in the hospital. He smiles at something Aida says.

The teacher clears his throat loudly, 'Suzuhara-kun! If you would.'

SSEC

Lantis-chan is sitting, full-lotus, in the middle of the living room, scowling. Outright, brows pinched, scowling.

I sit down, pull my knees up under my chin, and feel for what she is trying to do. Her ki all swirly, rising up the center of her body, and flowing back down the outsides. I've no idea what she's trying to accomplish, but it doesn't seem to be working.

'How does one do this?' she asks, startling me.

'Um, what?'

'Levitate?'

'I don't know. I think one lightens one's ki, so that one is less dense than the air around one, and then it pushes one up. I've never seen anyone do it, so . . .'

'You don't know,' she unfolds herself with a tiny wince.

I gather her up in my arms, rest my head on her shoulder, 'How long were you working on it?'

'A few hours,' she smiles, I can feel it, 'But now I've something better to do,' and she presses me flat on the floor, and shoves my shirt up.

'Oh?' I manage to gasp.

'Yes,' she says, then takes one already-hard nipple between her lips.

SSEC

'You really shouldn't fall asleep naked in the middle of the room. Misato-san is hiding in her bedroom,' Asuka tells me as I wake up, gathering the blanket a little tighter around Lantis-chan and I.

'Um,' I hold up a bit of the blanket.

'I put that over you when I got home. Misato-san says she's not coming out until dinner, and I promise her that you are both dressed.'

'Oh,' Lantis-chan says.

I hadn't realized she was awake.

'So, that means it's my turn,' Asuka says, unbuttoning her blouse.

'I thought,' I start, but Lantis-chan has already wrapped her fingers in Asuka's hair, and pulled her close. I lean up, and nuzzle aside her shirt, getting a happy groan from the girl as my lips meet flesh.

SSEC

Zerogouki and I are circling, slowly, power cords twining together. My mouth falls open in a little grin, and Zerogouki braces herself, her stance a little twisted to adjust for her newly re-attached left arm, which isn't fully healed yet.. I shift the other way, pulling myself into a full Jeet Kune Do ready stance.

Zerogouki also starts circling the other way, and I spin, slamming a full-force back kick into her belly.

Lantis-chan gives a little grunt over the comm, and Zerogouki slides backwards, keeping her feet, our twisted-together powercords drawing her to an awkward stop.

'You never kick me that hard,' Asuka complains.

'That kick should have shattered armor and bones,' Maya says, 'I'm surprised Zerogouki kept her feet.'

'You'll get there,' I tell her, 'But you don't have enough control yet.'

'Whine,' Asuka whines, 'When?'

'Soon,' Lantis-chan tells her.

'Pattern blue. ETA twenty minutes,' Ritsuko interupts.

'Shitsugeki junbi!' Misato orders.

The three of us start for the elevators.

SSEC

We arrive at the surface almost simultaneously, grabbing weapons and spreading out.

'It is fortuituous that the Angel arrived during our training time,' Lantis-chan says.

'Yeah, the author must be looking out for us,' Asuka says.

I bow my head, and hope that Eris finds Asuka's current religion amusing.

Then we settle down to wait.

It isn't long, about five minutes, before the Angel appears over the horizon.

The Angel looks like a play-doh admiral, black with round little feet that don't touch the ground, a white face mask over deeper black, white epaulets with little mylar sleeves dangling.

Red lights glitter behind its face-mask, then an energy beam strikes the geofront. The smoke and fire mushroom up into the typical cruciform cloud, and once more I wonder why they bother.

'That cut through 19 levels of armor!' someone, Makoto, I think, declares.

'Stop it quickly!' Misato commands.

'Asuka! Distract it,' Lantis-chan orders, 'Miyuki, you're the second attempt, get into position.'

I grab the halberd, and watch as Asuka shoots it with a pallet rifle. It shifts towards her, bullets, weakened by passing through the Angel's partially-neutralized AT field, bouncing off of it.

With a bright flash, Lantis-chan fires a positron cannon. The beam cuts through the Angel's AT field, and carves one of the epaulets off, along with the dangling sleeve.

The Angel spins, and a red glitter appears behind its mask.

Before I can think, the halberd is flying through the air, aimed straight that mask, and I'm right behind it.

Its AT field has collapsed, and Asuka's still shooting it.

It collapses to the ground, the halberd buried to the shaft in its flesh, fluid leaking from bullet-holes in its side.

I feel a few rounds hit me as I dig my fingers into the Angel's flesh, reaching for its core. My arm is buried almost to the elbow by the time I find it, and I rip it out, shreds of the Angel's flesh clinging to it as I slam it into the ground.

The Angel's body is motionless as I hold the core with my left hand, and draw my prog knife with the right.

I drive it home, shifting my weight to force it into the tough material.

'Miyuki! Are you OK?' Asuka asks, jogging up.

I stand, twist a little side to side, 'Fine, I think,' I tell her.

SSEC

I stare at the gaping holes in Shougouki's armor. The right shoulder panel is gone, and the bare arm and shoulder shows through the holes in the armor. The right side armor is mostly gone, shredded, from the front to the back, and a few of the almost intact panels have holes in them. Both gloves are missing, bare skin showing through the shreds remaining at the wrists.

'And you didn't even notice healing all that?' Ritsuko asks.

'I barely noticed the hits. I had to stop it.'

'Why,' she starts.

I point my chin in the direction of Zerogouki's cage.

She nods. Turning back to Shougouki, she says, 'The damage is going to take a couple days to repair.'

'I thought so.'

SSEC

Asuka drops onto my back, startling me a little, even though I knew she was behind me.

'Whatcha doing?

I tap the shard of glass in my left hand with the rock in my right. A nice flake pops off, joining its friends on the floor of the storage room I've commandeered for training Asuka. I turn the shard a moment, then set it in the finished pile, 'Making drill bits.'

'Um,' she says, 'Those are glass,' she points at the meter square sheet of 5 mm thick steel, 'That's steel.'

'Yep. Makes things a little difficult,' I tell her. I count the sharp-edged points, eight and nine. Good.

I pick one up, and a straightened 30 cm long stick with a notch cut in it. I position the point, make sure it it is straight, then tie it in with a length of artificial sinew. I set it aside to dry.

'Isn't an electric drill easier? I'm sure NERV must have a lot of them.'

'Easier, yes, but not better.'

'Oh?'

'This is training. Usagi-sensei said to practice reinforcing inanimate tools, so I might as well do something useful with it.'

'So you're going to drill a steel plate with glass bits.'

'Yep.'

Asuka just watches as I tie the other eight drill bits, then holds the dustpan while I sweep up the scrap. I place the bits in my tool box, and lock it.

'Let's go. Can't do anything more today.'

SSEC

I pull the drill back from the wall, the masonary bit flashing a little as it spins down. I press the metal anchor into the block wall, then go to the next spot.

'I thought you weren't going to use an electric?' Asuka asks, stepping into the room.

'Not for the plate. This is just because,' I turn and smile at her, 'I'm feeling lazy. I'm gonna have to drill six holes in that plate, so I don't want to drill six in the wall as well. Besides,' I turn back to the wall, 'The wall anchors need holes the same size.'

SSEC

'Asuka said you'd be down here,' Lantis-chan says, dropping into seiza beside me.

'Un,' I grunt around the mouthpiece holding the butt of the current drillbit, not pausing the back and forth motion of my hands, twisting the drill back and forth quickly, fine flakes of steel rising from the plate.

'How much longer?'

I shrug.

Lantis-chan picks up one of the dead bits, the soft soda-glass point worn quite away, down to the wooden shaft, 'How many more holes?'

I sit back, take the mouthpiece from between my teeth, 'One and a half.'

'So each bit lasts about two holes?'

'No, the first three didn't even drill one hole. So far, I've managed to keep this one going.'

'Ah,' Lantis-chan draws the dead bit across her palm, slicing it open, deep red blood welling out and dripping on the floor. She blinks at it, then beckons me close. I set the drill kit aside, and lean in. She smears my face with her blood, then kisses me, 'Mine.'

I wait a moment for the bleeding to stop, a warm, sticky drip down my face, then remember, and take her hand, brushing the blood away. The wound is shrinking, faster than a normal person's, but not as fast as a Competent martial artist's. I apply pressure, and feel, following her ki as the wound closes and the skin knits back together.

'What was that about?' I ask.

Her lips quirk up just a tiny bit, 'Maybe something is only really, only really belongs to someone after they've bled for it, on it,' and she kisses me again.

'So I'm an it?' I ask, lightly.

'It applies to anything.'

SSEC

'Again!' I say, and she hits the plate, *thump**thump*.

'Harder!'

*Thump**Thump* The thick steel dents slightly under the impact of Asuka's delicate fists.

'You're not trying.'

*THUmp**THUmp* One can make out the outline of her knuckles where she hit.

'You're hitting like a girl.'

*THUMP**THUMP* Fine dust trickles down the wall from the pulverized concrete, the dents cracked at their deepest point, the steel stretched beyond its limits.

'Good.'

*THUMP!**THUMP!*

'Stop.'

*THUMP!* I wrap myself around her from behind, and she stops, turns to look at me.

'Look at the target.'

She does, and I can feel her surprise, and smile as she fits her fist into the centimeters deep mark she left in the thick metal, 'Wow.'

SSEC

Kaji left a weird message on the machine, 'This will be my last job,' he continues with, 'Katsuragi, it's me. I'm sure you are listening to this message after I have made more trouble for you. Sorry. Please apologize to Ritchan for me,' he paused again, 'And there's one more thing to ask you. I've been growing watermelons. I'd appreciate if you water them for me. Shinji-kun knows where they are. Katsuragi, the truth is with you. Don't hasitate. Go ahead. If I can see you again, I will say the words that I could not say eight years ago. Bye,' another pause, then, 'Just like the red of blood.'

SSEC

Things are just a little . . . troubled. Someone's borrowed Fuyutsuki, without asking, so we're all on standby until he turns back up again. Seele is moving, again.

'Do we have power budgeted for training today?' I ask Maya.

She starts, then turns to me with a smile, 'Yes, we do.'

'Good,' Lantis-chan smiles at her, 'I owe Miyuki-chan a beating.'

'Mou!' Asuka whines, 'Why do you always train Lantis-chan?'

'This,' Lantis-chan says, and raises her unblemished left palm.

Maya blushes.

Lantis-chan looks confused, then smiles, 'Not what you think,' and flips her pocketknife open with a *snick* of the blade locking back. The steel glimmers dully, and she draws the serated edge across her other palm.

Several people gasp at the welling blood, and Maya starts from her seat, then relaxes as Lantis-chan wipes her knife on the back of her hand, folds it, pockets it, and draws her thumb across the closing flesh, smearing the blood away.

'Oh,' Makoto says, just a little pale.

'Asuka?' Lantis-chan beckons her close, 'Follow,' she says, starting out the door.

We do. Just a little down the corridor Lantis-chan turns, and presses her bloody palm to Asuka's cheek, tilting her head down as she leans up to kiss the taller girl.

Asuka leaves the blood as we continue down the corridor.

SSEC

Someone plays Kaji's message, then there's a *thump* and rattle of moving furniture, then someone's sobbing. I lever myself out of the tub, grabbing a towel as I head out the door. Asuka's only a little behind me.

Misato's the one crying, and Lantis-chan has an awkward grip on her, trying to be comforting. We join them, wrapping the sobbing woman in our arms.

SSEC

Lantis-chan is rubbing Asuka's belly, and Asuka's hands are lightly stroking Lantis-chan's hair. The content look on Asuka's face as Lantis-chan tends to her almost make me wish I got menstrual cramps. I drop to my knees next to the two beautiful girls, and watch awkwardly for a moment before Asuka grabs my hand, and sets it on her belly, her fingers twined with mine.

SSEC

The alarms blare, 'All Personnel, go to first stage alert! Prepare for anti-air operations!'

The three of us wake, Lantis-chan and I curled about Asuka. I roll off the futon, rising to my feet as Lantis-chan helps Asuka up. We quickly strip out and pull on plug suits before Lantis-chan unlocks the door and we slip out of the small room, flipping off the single bare bulb before locking it again.

SSEC

Lantis-chan goes out first, with a long-range positron cannon. The bipod goes on a building, and the little foot at the action goes on another. She aims, firing once.

'Insufficient force at this range,' Maya says.

'Can we deploy a second positron cannon?' Misato asks.

There's a pause, 'We'd need at least four,' she breaks off as Zerogouki is bathed in brilliant white light.

'The enemy has a particle beam weapon?' Misato.

'No, we're not getting any themograph reactions," Makoto.

'Abnormal psychograph readings,' Maya starts, 'Mental contamination is starting.'

'Ow,' Lantis-chan interrupts softly, 'Ow. Ow.'

'Lantis!' I call, desperately worried.

'Rei! Retreat!'

'Ryoukai!' she leaves the positron cannon in position, taking just enough care that it won't fall over, then heading back for the lift at a run. 'Ow,' she mutters, the frame in front of me showing the positron cannon, still bathed in light.

'Lantis-chan,' Asuka says, 'Are you OK?'

'Yes,' a little pause, 'Ow.'

'The geofront is preventing further attack,' Maya says, 'but some damage has already been done.'

'Damage?' I ask.

'Very minor, so far.'

'Rei,' the commander says, 'Get it from Dogma, and use the spear.'

'Longinius's spear? Ikari that's —' Fuyutsuki starts.

'It's the only way we can attack an orbital target that's out of range,' he pauses just a moment, 'Hurry.'

'Commander, if Adam and Eva come into contact, it could cause third Impact,' Misato says, 'Please stop this.'

A female voice reports on Zerogouki's progres into the bowels of Central Dogma, and her return to the surface. The commander and Fuyutsuki argue quietly in the background, but all I catch is something about the old men not being pleased.

'That's Longinius's Spear,' Misato says.

'Zerogouki is in position.'

'Target sighted, error corrections have been made.'

'Starting countdown from ten.'

The white light bathes Zerogouki. Lantis-chan says, softly, 'Ow.'

Asuka and I whimper.

'From five,' says the commander.

'Four,' Maya counts, and Zerogouki quickly changes her grip.

'Three,' Zerogouki rocks back, the spear held in both hands.

'Two,' Zerogouki draws the spear back.

'One,' and holds.

'Zero,' the spear writhes, wrapping itself into a single point, and Zerogouki throws it.

'Ow,' Lantis-chan says.

'Target annihilated,' comes from the control room.

'Ow,' she repeats.

'Redeploy,' Misato orders her.

'Ryoukai,' Lantis-chan acknowledges, 'Ow.'

SSEC

Once more, all three of us are curled up in Lantis-chan's hospital bed. Even sound asleep, she holds us close to her, our heads pillowed on her breast, her fingers wrapped through our hair.

—  
log:  
2002 November 11: Started, beginning of ep18.  
2002 November 25: more  
2002 December 6: more  
2002 December 14: logged Dec 6 . . .  
2002 December 16: more! finished ep 18  
2003 March 23: Watched ep19 and ep20. Continued.  
2003 March 29: Continued.  
2003 May 30: little bit more  
2003 June 16: Tiny edits :(  
2003 September 12-14: Finished Eps 21 and 22.  
2003 October 3: Title block and acknowledgement.  
2010 July 10: Tiny edits, mauled for ff.n


	6. Episode Six

Acknowledgements:  
Well, first there is the Literal Translation Project, without whom this fic would be quite different, and take a lot longer to write.  
Next we have the FFML, who provide a much needed outlet for this, so that I can know that other people have at least read whatever it is before I send it to RAAC.  
Next, we have ADV, who pressed my Eva DVD box set.  
Next, we have Mangle, who pressed the Eva movies.  
Next, we have my fans (all four of you) who occasionally asked if I'd ever finish this . . . Thanks.

And, last, but definately not least, we have Gainax, and Anno-san, without whom I'd've never started this mess.

'Nuff of that.

Genom Research  
Presents

A St. Suika Fenderson Roberts  
FanFic

Shin Seiki  
Evangelion  
Chouchuanshan

Episode six.

I sit, legs out straight, back against the wall, Misako in my pocket, Weird Al playing in my ears, a textbook layed across Lantis-chan's back, her breast soft against my thigh, as she reads something of her own.

I'm not reading the book right now, as the current song is . . . intriguing.

'I'm not sure playing this would be in good taste,' I say, pulling Misako from my pocket to pause the song.

'What?' Lantis-chan asks me.

'Back,' I pause, 'Thirty years ago, or so, there was a pop singer named Tiffany. She had a hit song called "I Think We're Alone Now"'

Lantis-chan nods, rolling partly over and dumping my book onto my legs.

'Weird Al,' she gives me a puzzled look, 'Wierd Al Yankovich, he writes parody songs, has for the last thirty-five or forty years,' she nods, 'Wrote a parody of it, called "I Think I'm a Clone Now".'

She smiles, 'Play it,' and flops back down, in a different position so she can rest her head on my thigh and still watch me.

My fingers clatter over the keyboard for a few seconds, ssh'ing into my stereo, and cueing up the song.

Isn't it strange?  
Feels like I'm looking in the mirror.

What would people say  
If they knew that I was  
Part of some geneticist's plan.

Born to be a carbon-copy man.  
There in a petrie dish, late one night  
They took a donor's body cell and fertilized a human egg  
And so I say

I think I'm a clone now  
There's always two of me just a'hangin around.  
I think I'm a clone now  
'cause every chromosome is a hand-me-down.

Look at the way  
We go out walkin close together  
I guess you could say I'm really beside my self

I still remember how it began  
They produced a carbon-copy man  
Born in a science lab, late one night  
Without a mother or a father  
Just a test-tube and a womb with a view.

I think I'm a clone now  
There's always two of me just a'hangin around.  
I think I'm a clone now  
And I can stay at home while I'm out of town.

Signing autographs for my fans  
Come and meet the carbon-copy man  
Living in stereo, it's all right  
Well I can be my own best friend  
And I can send myself for pizza  
So I say

I think I'm a clone now  
Another one of me's always hanging around  
I think I'm a clone now 'cause every chromosome is a hand-me-down.

'Cute tune,' Lantis-chan says, 'But I didn't understand it all. Play it again.'

The second time through, she smiles.

The third time, she giggles.

The fourth time, she laughs out loud.

Halfway through I notice Asuka watching us, a little smile on her face. She waits for the song to finish before stepping into the room.

SSEC

Asuka brings the heavy ratan down hard, over my head, going for my back.

I step aside, and whip my own "blade" around, nearly two meters of ratan claymore aimed firmly at her ribs.

She gets her shield up in time, but the blow knocks her back a few steps, and I follow up with a smashing disarm.

She holds, somehow, and kicks me hard in the gut. I slam back into a wall, scattering bits of concrete from where I hit.

She strikes before I've recovered fully, cleaving concrete as I barely get the claymore up in time to block.

She takes advantage of that, and smashes me in the face with her shield-boss. More concrete powders behind my head.

I kick her in the groin, and she lands, on her feet, ten meters back. She grins, 'That didn't hurt,' she says, 'I'm surprised.'

'Heh,' I say, trying for a nonchalant laugh, as I try to shake off being used as a concrete-chisel.

SSEC

Lantis-chan is going out gate 32, and we're backup. I stare at the spiraling ring on the monitor, my hands opening and closing over a halberd that isn't there.

Zerogouki settles, rifle at the ready.

'It's cycling, blue to orange and back again,' Maya says.

'What does it mean?' Misato asks.

'We don't have enough data yet,' Shigeru says.

'But that is not a fixed shape,' Ritsuko says.

'We can't attack,' Misato says, then, after a pause, 'Rei, get ready to attack, but wait for it.'

'No need,' Lantis-chan says, 'It's coming.'

'Target trying to break through Zerogouki's AT field,' Shigeru says.

'Eva Nigouki, launching,' Asuka says.

'Asuka!' Misato yells.

'Eva Shougouki,' I say, 'Launching.'

Asuka's already started towards the fight, halberd in hand, when I get to the surface. Lantis-chan is shooting at it, but it isn't being punchtured.

'Shinji, there's a positron rifle being deployed fourty meters to your left. Fire at the target's back end,' Misato orders.

'Ryoukai,' I say, feeling the right shoulder panel fall off. I pull the rifle to my shoulder, turn, and aim.

Asuka's arrived, and is hacking at it. Thin slivers and sparks are being cut free, but it isn't working very well.

One loop isn't whipping around, and I finally get a lock, and fire.

It breaks in two, then merges back together again.

Lantis-chan screams, and the Angel breaks through her AT field, slamming into Zerogouki's torso, sickening welts rising from the armor. She screams again.

Asuka screams in rage, grabbing the angel, putting one foot on Zerogouki's chest, and ripping it free. It promptly wraps around her, her AT field sparking as it tries to break free, or break through.

Lantis-chan slams a prog knife into the angel as I charge up the hill, reaching for my prog knife before I remember it's on the ground with the shoulder panel and positron rifle.

She draws the knife up the angel's length, sparks flaring as Asuka struggles to keep a grip on it, and keep it out.

I charge past, and grab Asuka's discarded halberd, spinning around quickly . . .

The angel, in a final shower of sparks, dies.

'Target destroyed,' Shigeru says.

SSEC

'She'll be fine,' Ritsuko tells us, as we stand on either side of Lantis-chan's bed, 'You stopped it before it could do much damage,' she smiles at Asuka, 'Good job.'

I stroke Lantis-chan's cheek, my other hand clasped tight in Asuka's.

*BOOM* a faint haze of dust floats from the ceiling, the room shaking as if struck by god's own hammer.

*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* The alarms go off, a bit belatedly, *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* three more times, almost overlapping.

'Shut off the alarm,' the commander's voice says, 'The crisis is over. Stand down.'

The three of us who are conscious look at each other in shock. The alarm shuts off.

'Thank you, Ibuki-kun,' the commander's voice again, 'SEELE is crippled or destroyed. Dark Kingdom troops will be arriving to take over operations at all NERV, SEELE, and UN facilities within fifteen minutes. Do not resist and you will not be harmed,' he sighs, 'I'm sick of this face,' pause, then he yells, 'VENUS COSMIC POWER, MAKE UP!'

There are several thumps, as of people fainting or faulting badly.

'That's much better,' says a youngish female voice that is so familiar.

SSEC

The woman everyone says is my father has been avoiding me. I catch glimpses of her. Whenever she spots me her face just melts, and she runs, tears and long golden hair trailing in her wake.

SSEC

'Ranma-sensei,' I call her on the phone, 'You knew.'

'Knew what?' she replies to my accusation.

'That my father-' I break off, unable to continue.

'I suspected strongly. She wore that face for years before you were born,' she says, softly, 'She didn't do it to hurt you.'

'Then what did she do it for?'

'Do you really think it would have taken them ten years to get so close to their goals if they hadn't had people fighting against them on the inside? Your parents sacrificed a lot in this fight,' she says.

'Why did they leave me?' I can hear the tears in my voice, but I can't feel them yet.

'Because it wasn't safe for you to be near them,' she tells me in a gentle voice.

Asuka wraps herself around my back, holding me tight as I cry.

SSEC

Usagi-sensei, Rei-sensei, Bell-sensei, four women I don't recognize, and Keichi-san ride down the escalator towards the Eva cages.

SSEC

'Mom?' I gasp, tears streaming down my face, tear myself from Lantis-chan and Asuka, and throw myself into her arms. She smiles, stroking my hair, and the half-remembered woman with long blonde hair wraps her arms around us both.

SSEC

I pause in the doorway, not having expected the short-haired figure floating five centimeters off the floor in full lotus. A quick glance to the left spots her better half, Rei-sensei's long black hair trailing on the floor where she sits.

'Usagi-sensei.' I greet her, not bothering to ask how she got in, having gotten 'a paladin has ways' one time too often.

'Shinji-kun.' She smiles, her eyes still closed. I step further into the room, hands reaching for a bokutou that isn't there. Her smile twitches a little, and I wonder what she'll be teaching me this time. 'We'll continue this in the parking lot.'

Her eyes open suddenly, and she is on her feet, wrapping me in arms that I've seen crush steel poles. I hug her back before she can get it into her head to start throwing me up in the air again; it was bad enough when I was smaller than she is, but it's gotten really embarrassing since I hit that last growth spurt.

She lets me go, and I step back, finally taking in her costume. 'That is a little much, don't you think?'

'I told her it was a bit skimpy, myself.' I turn and subtly brace myself at the words; Rei-sensei is generally less demonstrative, but it is hard to tell what a full master would do.

She walks over and ruffles my hair, and I suddenly notice that I'm taller than she is. I must look rather pole-axed, for she laughs happily.

'Strange how that strikes one, isn't it? I remember my shock when I realized how short Ranma-san is.' She pulls me in for a hug after all, and I give her a firm squeeze.

SSEC

Usagi-sensei stands in front of me, still dressed mainly in a dark kimono, tucked up high enough to leave her legs unhindered, like some ninja from a movie. In her hand is a piece of bamboo a little longer than she is tall, with a strip of rope tied around it about forty centimeters from one end. She whips a nearly identical piece up with the tip, and I catch it, springing backwards five meters, my hands settling into the familiar posistions on the grip.

I block her downward stroke, taking the force of the blow in my knees, the bamboo making no sound, the fragile material supported by the force of our wills. I step aside from the next blow, then dodge the streetlight as it falls.

SSEC

'So, can Usagi-sensei actually cook anything but curry yet?' I ask Rei-sensei, a faint smile playing across my lips.

'Yeah,' she holds her hands out in front of her, ticking off items as she goes, 'Ramen, cup noodles, rice, that's an important one, pancakes, and curry.'

'Rei!' Usagi-sensei growls threateningly, amusement flickering about her features.

Rei-sensei tries to look innocent, a poise spoiled by the smirk that keeps breaking onto her face, 'What?'

I just smirk, and serve Lantis-chan some more rice when she holds out her bowl to me.

SSEC

—  
log:  
2003 Sep 14: Started, at long last.  
2003 Sep 14 15:30: Finished. The whole beast is drafted out. Only took me five years. Unless I'm mistaken about the start date, in which case it would be six . . .  
2003 October 3: Title block and acknowledgement.  
2010 July 10: Tiny edits, mauled for ff.n


End file.
